How international break affects Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham and the top four race

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With only eight games to go, and just four points separating third and sixth, the race to finish in the Premier League top four is well and truly on.

Such are the margins that the two-week period ahead in which none of the contenders play a league game could still be crucial.

A few injuries picked up on international duty could be fatal to Champions League qualification hopes, while the chance to rest up ahead of the run-in might make all the difference.

Here’s how the international break affects the top four candidates…

Spurs look to be the worst hit of the top four contenders, with 17 first team players away on international duty, including almost all of their star names.

Headline among them is yet another long haul trip for Son Heung-Min, who heads back to South Korea for two friendlies, including one against teammate Davinson Sanchez, whose Colombia side also travel to Japan.

The fixture list has not been kind either, with a visit to Anfield on the weekend following the break, though at least a Sunday afternoon kick-off should give Mauricio Pochettino a little time to organise his troops.

The Gunners are set to head off for a training camp in Dubai during the break, and Unai Emery will have several senior first team players to take with him.

Laurent Koscielny, Petr Cech and Mesut Ozil have all retired from international football, while neither Shkodran Mustafi, nor Bernd Leno made the Germany squad. Nacho Monreal and Alexandre Lacazette are missing from the Spain and France squads respectively, and there was no England U21 call for Ainsley Maitland-Niles either.

Mesut Ozil is among the Arsenal stars who will make the trip to Dubai 
Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Lucas Torreira is their player who will travel furthest, heading to play in the China Cup with Uruguay, but he is suspended for the Premier League clash with Newcastle anyway. That game is at home on the Monday night after the international break.

After the withdrawals of Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial from their respective squads because of injury, United only have eight players away during this break, with Jesse Lingard not risked for England despite returning to the United fold at the weekend.

Antonio Valencia is the man with the most travelling to do, heading to the US for two Ecuador friendlies, but he has rarely featured for United in recent months.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s biggest concern will be over the fitness of Romelu Lukaku, who has joined up with the Belgium squad despite missing the FA Cup defeat to Wolves with a foot injury.

The Blues are perhaps the side most likely to benefit from a regrouping and a reset during the international break, though rumours they are about to sack Maurizio Sarri won’t help.

The likes of Willian, Gonzalo Higuain and Pedro are all without international commitments, along with senior defenders Marcos Alonso, Cesar Azpilicueta and David Luiz.

None of Sarri’s men have fixtures scheduled for outside of Europe, so strenuous travel should not be an issue, but he already has an injury to contend with after Ruben Loftus-Cheek withdrew from the England squad.

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