With Watford not in action until Good Friday (March 29), seven Hornets have been called up to represent their countries in the final international break of the 2023/24 season.
Giorgi Chakvetadze will be hoping to guide Georgia to their first-ever appearance in a major tournament, with his side in play-off action for a place at the European Championship in Germany in the summer. The team are just two wins away, and will possess home advantage going into the matches.
Earning their place in the play-offs by finishing among the four top-ranked countries in UEFA Nations League C who had not already qualified, Georgia will host Luxembourg on Thursday (March 21, 5pm KO) in a semi-final at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi.
Victory will see them progress to the final in the same venue on Tuesday March 26, against either Greece or Kazakhstan, and a win will result in qualification and a piece of Georgian history.
One Watford player whose nation has already confirmed their spot at this summer’s tournament is Ryan Porteous, who will be looking to cement his spot in the Scotland squad as the side continue their preparation for the Euros with two friendlies during the break. The defender featured seven times in the qualifiers as the Scots earned their place at a second successive European Championship.
They face a tough test away to the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Friday (March 22, 7.45pm KO) as Steve Clarke looks to take stock of his squad, before travelling back to Glasgow for a clash at Hampden Park against Northern Ireland on Tuesday March 26, a fixture which could see an all-Watford clash.
Jamal Lewis will be hoping to add to the 34 caps he has already earned for the Green and White Army after receiving another call-up for Northern Ireland. His side will be playing two away fixtures in this international break, starting off with a trip to face Romania in Bucharest on Friday (March 22, 7.45pm KO).
The left-back has already played at Romania’s National Arena, featuring for the whole 90 minutes as Northern Ireland earned a 1-1 draw in the Nations League in 2020.
The team will then travel for the meeting with Scotland, where Lewis could go head-to-head with the man who he usually lines up next to in the Watford back four.
Travelling a little further afield is midfielder Ismaël Koné, who will be hoping to play a key role in a crucial match for Canada during this international break. His side are facing off against Trinidad and Tobago for a place in this summer’s Copa América.
Koné has already featured 16 times for his country, including three appearances at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This latest fixture offers a chance for the 21-year-old to qualify for the second major tournament of his career. The game is taking place at the Toyota Stadium in Frisco in Texas on Saturday (March 23, 8pm KO).
Another player whose impressive performances in the Sky Bet Championship have earned a call-up to the international stage is young star Yáser Asprilla, who already has two senior caps for Colombia to his name. Both came in 2022, so the 20-year-old will be hoping to cement his place in the squad going forward in two upcoming friendlies.
The forward won't have far to travel for the first match against Spain, which is taking place at London Stadium on Friday (March 22, 8.30pm).
Colombia then stay in Europe for their next fixture, jetting off to Spain to go up against Romania at the home of Atletico Madrid on Tuesday (March 26, 7.30pm).
Another South American who will not have to leave Europe to represent his nation is Francisco Sierralta, who will be hoping to earn his first cap for Chile since November 2022 when they play two friendlies this month. La Roja will be ramping up their preparation for an appearance at the 2024 Copa America, with the defender eager to impress to earn a place in the squad.
A clash against Albania is first up for the side, with the fixture taking place in Parma, Italy on Friday (March 22, 7.45pm KO). This marks the first meeting between the two sides. The second friendly will provide a tough test for Sierralta and his teammates, as they face the World Cup runners-up France, whose squad possesses some of the best players in the world, in Marseille on Tuesday (March 26, 8pm KO).
The final call-up of the March international break sees a further endorsement of the good work being done in the Watford Academy, with graduate Ryan Andrews selected for a fourth successive England Men’s Elite League Squad, which has replaced the Under-20 age group.
The right-back’s first full season as a professional continues to go from strength to strength, and he now has the opportunity to add to the four appearances he has already made for the squad.
They face two away trips, first to Poland Under-20s on Friday (March 22, 4.45pm KO), before going up against Czech Republic Under-20s next Tuesday (March 26, 2pm KO).
