Several Premier League stars have kept themselves busy during the international break, representing their countries and trying to help them secure spots ahead of next year’s World Cup. Norway, the Netherlands, and Germany are on their way after faring well in the UEFA qualifiers. On the other hand, Egypt have already booked their tickets after clinching the top spot in Group A of the CAF qualifiers with ease.
Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, and Nick Woltemade have been the driving forces behind their nations’ successes. And as we’ve seen so far this season, all of them are very much capable of creating Premier League 2025 highlights week in and week out.
In case you missed it, read more below for the SBOTOP recap of the recently concluded international break, as we highlight these stars’ contributions in the past few days.
Erling Haaland, Manchester City
Norway are poised to qualify for next year’s World Cup, as they’re at the top of Group I with 18 points, a six-point cushion over second-seeded Italy. Following their 11-1 rout of Moldova last month, Norway continued their free-scoring ways with a 5-0 win against Israel last Sunday. They will cap off their international break with a friendly against New Zealand.
It sounds like a broken record, but Erling Haaland is great at scoring goals. The Manchester City striker may have missed two penalties against Israel, but he still managed to complete a hat-trick. Haaland has now scored 51 goals in 46 caps for his country. For context, Lionel Messi needed 107 caps to hit that mark for Argentina.
Haaland already has 12 goals in the qualifiers, putting him head and shoulders above the rest. The Netherlands’ Memphis Depay is behind him with seven. In the English top-flight, he is the frontrunner for the Golden Boot award with nine goals, making him an invaluable cog to the Sky Blues’ pursuit of another championship.
Haaland, among others, will not play against New Zealand, as Norway have sent him back home early to the Etihad. He will use this time to rest ahead of Manchester City’s match against Everton on Saturday.
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool
Egypt are back in the World Cup, following their 3-0 win against Djibouti last Wednesday night. Ibrahim Adel scored the Pharaohs’ first goal, and Mohamed Salah put the icing on the cake with a brace. Salah now has nine goals, making him the top scorer in the ongoing CAF qualifiers. All in all, Salah has 63 goals in 108 caps for Egypt and is the CAF qualifiers’ all-time leading scorer, surpassing Didier Drogba (18).
Liverpool supporters hope that Salah can carry over his national team form to Merseyside to improve the Reds’ Premier League 2025 odds this season. Salah has struggled so far with only three goals in 10 games, with only one in-play goal to show. His lack of end product is a reason why the Reds were on a three-game losing streak before the October international break, losing to Crystal Palace (2-1), Galatasaray (1-0) in the Champions League, and Chelsea (2-1).
Cody Gakpo, Liverpool
Liverpool fans have also watched Cody Gakpo closely during the international break, and the Netherlands forward has thrived alongside teammate Virgil van Dijk. Last weekend, the Oranje notched back-to-back 4-0 wins against Malta and Finland to reclaim the top spot in Group G with 16 points.
After going scoreless in June and September, Gakpo returned to the scoresheet with three goals. He converted two penalties against Malta for a brace and scored a late goal against Finland. With three goals, Gakpo is among the top scorers in the UEFA qualifiers, placing second behind Memphis Depay (seven).
Like Salah, Gakpo has been up and down for Liverpool this season, with two goals and two assists. He scored the Reds’ latest goal during their 2-1 loss to Chelsea.
Nick Woltemade, Newcastle United
Germany are assured of a play-off berth based on Nations League ranking, and they own the top spot in Group A of the UEFA qualifiers. After dropping their first game against Slovakia (2-0), Germany have won three straight against Northern Ireland (3-1), Luxembourg (4-0), and Northern Ireland again (1-0). Die Mannschaft struggled against Northern Ireland last time out, but Nick Woltemade saved the day with his unorthodox finish off his back from David Raum’s corner in the first half. This was his first goal in this round. Since joining Newcastle United this summer, Woltemade has scored three league goals in four appearances, and he’s in fine form.
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