Euro 2024 – The Empire of The Kop https://www.empireofthekop.com Blog about Liverpool F.C. (LFC) and the Kop from true supporters for supporters worldwide. Tue, 05 Dec 2023 16:43:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.9 95610221 Dates for the diary: When Liverpool’s players will be in action on international duty this week https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/11/14/liverpool-players-international-duty-november/ Tue, 14 Nov 2023 09:20:07 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=244719 The November international break is upon us, which gives Liverpool fans a chance to draw breath ahead of a manic end to 2023 which sees the Reds play 10 times in the space of just 32 days. However, for 16 members of Jurgen Klopp’s first-team squad, the pause to the club season brings no respite, […]

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The November international break is upon us, which gives Liverpool fans a chance to draw breath ahead of a manic end to 2023 which sees the Reds play 10 times in the space of just 32 days.

However, for 16 members of Jurgen Klopp’s first-team squad, the pause to the club season brings no respite, with national team duty beckoning across four different continents. That number would be even higher if injuries hadn’t ruled out the likes of Andy Robertson, Ryan Gravenberch and Ibrahima Konate.

The attention of LFC fans will be divided across the conclusion of the Euro 2024 qualifying groups, two more confederations seeing their heavyweights take the first steps towards the 2026 World Cup, and a handful of British youngsters with eyes on playing at the European Under-21 finals the summer after next.

When can we see Liverpool’s international stars in action over the coming days? We’ve marked your card below!

READ MORE: ‘It’s wrong…’ – John Aldridge urges Liverpool to use ‘joke’ situation as ‘motivation’ v Man City

READ MORE: (Video) Darwin Nunez’s tigerish determination saw one opponent floored during Liverpool win

Thursday 16th

Wataru Endo is the first Liverpool player on international duty over the coming week, set to lead out Japan for their opening 2026 World Cup qualifier at home to Myanmar, who are 140 places lower in the current FIFA world rankings. That game kicks off at 10am UK time.

Thursday also sees the first steps on the road towards the pan-Americas showcase in 2026 for Mo Salah and Egypt, who begin their qualifying campaign by hosting Djibouti, Africa’s third lowest-ranked nation, at 4pm UK time.

Dominik Szoboszlai‘s Hungary need just a point away to Group G whipping boys Bulgaria to secure their place at Euro 2024 (5pm), while Diogo Jota can already look forward to playing at the tournament with Portugal, who should preserve their 100% group record away to Liechtenstein at 7:45pm.

At midnight in the UK (Thursday night in South America with time difference), the four Liverpool players from that continent will be concentrated across two head-to-heads.

The old-age rivalry of Argentina and Uruguay pits Alexis Mac Allister against Darwin Nunez. Elsewhere, Luis Diaz‘s first match in Colombia since the kidnapping and subsequent release of his parents sees them take on Brazil, for whom Alisson Becker is set to start after Ederson withdrew from the squad through injury.

Friday 17th

Just the three Liverpool players in action on Friday night, with the headline act between Trent Alexander-Arnold and England looking ahead to Euro 2024, with Gareth Southgate’s team already qualified as they play host to Malta at 7:45pm.

At 7pm, Ben Doak will be in action for Scotland’s under-21s away to Belgium in a European qualifier. Earlier in the evening, Kostas Tsimikas may feature for Greece in their friendly against New Zealand at 5pm, but Klopp and Reds fans wouldn’t mind seeing him rested for that inconsequential fixture.

Saturday 18th

Three Liverpool players will be in Amsterdam on Saturday night for the Euro 2024 qualifier between Netherlands and Republic of Ireland (7:45pm). Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo will be striving for the win which’d see their nation book their place at the finals of the tournament, while Caoimhin Kelleher is back in the Irish squad after missing their October double header due to injury.

In the European under-21 qualifiers, defending champions England are in Serbia for a 4pm kick-off. Reds duo Harvey Elliott and Jarell Quansah are in the squad for that fixture, as is Tyler Morton, who’s on loan at Hull City from Anfield.

Sunday 19th

There are three international matches involving Liverpool players on Sunday, all with staggered kick-offs so that Reds fans won’t have to pick and choose.

At 2pm, Szoboszlai and Hungary will be hoping that their concluding Euro 2024 qualifier at home to Montenegro is effectively a chance to celebrate with their fans in the knowledge that their place at the finals had been secured in Bulgaria three days previously.

While their campaign comes to a close, the second step of Egypt’s path towards what they hope will be qualification for the 2026 World Cup sees them travel to Sierra Leone (4pm). Salah might fancy his chances of filling his boots against the team ranked 122nd in the world.

Finally, at 7:45pm, Jota‘s Portugal will aim to finish their Euro 2024 qualification group with a 100% record as they host Iceland, who are likely to be eliminated before then.

Monday 20th

Trent is the only Liverpool player on international duty next Monday night, when England round off their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign away to North Macedonia, against whom the 25-year-old conjured a sublime assist for Bukayo Saka in a 7-0 win for the Three Lions in June.

Tuesday 21st

Having already raged against a third successive Saturday 12:30pm kick-off immediately after an international break, Klopp won’t be overly enthused by the scheduling of the fixtures involving Liverpool players either, with no fewer than a dozen potentially in action on the preceding Tuesday.

Endo is first up as Japan’s second 2026 World Cup qualifier takes them to Syria (2:45pm UK time), which at least means he’ll have a sizeable portion of the journey back to Merseyside already behind him.

If Netherlands haven’t already secured their place at Euro 2024 by Tuesday, Van Dijk, Gakpo and co will surely get the job done away to Gibraltar at 7:45pm. At the same time in the same group, Tsimikas and Greece will be seeking to pounce on any shock slip-ups for the Dutch at home to France.

Two other games kicking off at 7:45 are Ireland’s friendly against New Zealand, when Kelleher may start in place of Gavin Bazunu, and England under-21s’ European qualifier at home to Northern Ireland, with Elliott and Quansah hoping to feature.

Also in the European Under-21 qualifiers, Doak‘s Scotland are away to Hungary with a 7pm kick-off.

In South America, Diaz‘s Colombia are away to Paraguay at 11pm UK time, with Nunez and Uruguay hosting Bolivia half an hour later. Lastly, at 12:30 UK time on Wednesday morning, the eternal rivalry of Brazil and Argentina is renewed, with Alisson going up against Mac Allister.

📖 Anfield Annals: Matt McQueen – the Anfield all-rounder who did everything in 36 years as a Red

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Andy Robertson’s 8-word social media post had one Liverpool teammate leaping into the replies https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/10/16/robertson-instagram-scotland-gakpo-congratulations/ Mon, 16 Oct 2023 12:13:43 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=243191 Andy Robertson had one of his Liverpool teammates jumping into the replies of the Scotland captain’s latest Instagram post. The 29-year-old suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder in his country’s 2-0 defeat to Spain last Thursday, in which case he could be sidelined for as long as four months (90min). However, the left-back and his international […]

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Andy Robertson had one of his Liverpool teammates jumping into the replies of the Scotland captain’s latest Instagram post.

The 29-year-old suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder in his country’s 2-0 defeat to Spain last Thursday, in which case he could be sidelined for as long as four months (90min).

However, the left-back and his international colleagues had reason to celebrate three days later as La Roja’s 1-0 win over Norway confirmed both their place and Scotland’s at the finals of Euro 2024.

Robertson took to Instagram to revel in qualification for the tournament, posting a series of photos along with the caption: “What a special group!!! SEE YOU IN GERMANY”.

His Liverpool teammate Cody Gakpo was prominent among the replies, leaving clapping and fire emojis to register his congratulations to the Scotsman.

It was a lovely touch by the Dutchman to congratulate his club colleague following the aforementioned body blow, and even with the capable Kostas Tsimikas ready to step in, it’s nonetheless a big blow for the Reds to have the 29-year-old ruled out for the foreseeable future.

At least Scotland’s qualification quickly put a smile back on Robertson’s face following his injury setback, with our number 26 becoming the third Liverpool player in recent days to be bound for Euro 2024, with Ibrahima Konate and Diogo Jota also now able to start planning for Germany in eight months’ time.

Congratulations to the three of them – just don’t get injured at the tournament next summer, please!

🤩 EOTK FPL Gameweek 8 Review 🤩: Isak or Alvarez the man to watch? Dominance in EOTK’s league, time to go big on Villa/Spurs/West Ham…

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Dates for the diary: When Liverpool’s players will be in action on international duty this week https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/10/10/liverpool-players-international-duty-fixtures-2/ Tue, 10 Oct 2023 07:21:34 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=242838 For the second time since the start of September, Liverpool have a number of first-team players traversing the globe on international duty over the coming days. No fewer than 16 members of Jurgen Klopp’s first-team squad have been called up by their countries, a number which’d be even higher had injuries to Cody Gakpo, Caoimhin […]

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For the second time since the start of September, Liverpool have a number of first-team players traversing the globe on international duty over the coming days.

No fewer than 16 members of Jurgen Klopp’s first-team squad have been called up by their countries, a number which’d be even higher had injuries to Cody Gakpo, Caoimhin Kelleher and Stefan Bajcetic not precluded them from being involved.

Several of the Reds’ underage crop have also been selected by their nations, but we’ll focus here on those who are involved at senior level at Anfield.

When can we see Liverpool’s international stars in action over the coming days? We’ve marked your card below!

READ MORE: Trent Alexander-Arnold answers James Maddison’s Instagram banter with the perfect riposte

READ MORE: 3 goals in 4 games: Liverpool willing to meet release clause for Europa League starlet

Thursday 12th

Liverpool’s South American quartet will be in 2026 World Cup qualifying action on Thursday night (or the early hours of Friday morning), with two of them facing each other as Luis Diaz‘s Colombia host Darwin Nunez‘s Uruguay at 9:30pm UK time.

Shortly after that game finishes, Alexis Mac Allister‘s Argentina host Paraguay, while at 1:30am UK time on Friday, Alisson Becker will hope to be in the Brazil line-up to face Venezuela.

Earlier on Thursday night (7:45pm), Andy Robertson can start planning to spend next summer in Germany if Scotland win away to Spain, a result which’d secure their place at Euro 2024.

Mo Salah‘s Egypt have qualified for their own continental finals next year, and their preparation for Africa Cup of Nations sees the Pharaohs take on Zambia at 5pm.

England’s qualifying campaign for the 2025 European Under-21 Championship sees them host Serbia (7:45pm), with Liverpool duo Harvey Elliott and Jarell Quansah among the players in Lee Carsley’s squad.

Friday 13th

Much of the LFC focus on Friday night will be geared towards Euro 2024 qualifying action, although one standout friendly fixture sees England – with Trent Alexander-Arnold back in the squad after being forced to miss out last month due to injury – host Australia at Wembley.

Elsewhere, two of his clubmates go head to head in a marquee European qualifier. The Reds’ centre-back pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate will be on opposite sides as Netherlands host France, with the Oranje seeking to avenge their 4-0 thrashing by Les Bleus in the reverse fixture earlier this year.

In the same group, Kostas Tsimikas will be in Dublin to try and help Greece complete a double triumph over Republic of Ireland, who they defeated in June to keep themselves firmly in the qualification picture.

The other Euro 2024 qualifying game with Liverpool involvement is Portugal’s home clash against Slovakia, with Diogo Jota hoping to build up the two goals he netted in his country’s 9-0 romp over Luxembourg last month.

Each of those games has a 7:45pm kick-off.

At the slightly earlier time of 7pm, Ben Doak is set to feature for Scotland’s under-21s in their European qualifier at home to Hungary.

For those of you whose time is your own at 11:35am on Friday morning, you can see Wataru Endo line out for Japan against Canada in a fixture officially billed as the Mizuho Blue Dream Match.

Saturday 14th

There’s just the one Liverpool player to watch out for on Saturday, as Dominik Szoboszlai captains Hungary in their Euro 2024 qualifier at home to Serbia, with whom they’re level on points at the summit of Group G but have a game in hand.

A win for the 22-year-old’s side would put them in firm control to finish top of the group and reach their third consecutive European finals. Kick-off is at 7:45pm.

Monday 16th

For the second time in four days, Van Dijk comes up against a fellow Liverpool defender, with Netherlands travelling to face Tsimikas and Greece in Group B of the Euro 2024 qualifiers.

Elsewhere, Jota and Portugal could already have booked their place at the finals next June by the time they travel to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Both of those clashes kick off at 7:45pm.

Earlier in the evening, Elliott and Quansah will hope to feature for England’s under-21s in their European qualifier against Ukraine (5:30pm), while Salah‘s Egypt take on Algeria in another friendly with a view towards AFCON (5pm).

Tuesday 17th

There’ll be two more Euro 2024 qualifiers at 7:45pm next Tuesday with Liverpool involvement, including England v Italy at Wembley in a repeat of the final of the most recent edition of the tournament. Trent‘s team endured heartbreak that night but will seek to do the double over the Azzurri in this campaign.

At the same time, Szoboszlai and Hungary will be targeting three points away to minnows Lithuania.

The theme of Reds defenders facing each other during this international break continues, with France hosting Scotland as Konate and Robertson are set to come head to head (8pm).

At 11:10am UK time, Endo‘s Japan host Tunisia in the Kirin Cup, while at 5:30pm, Doak will be in action for Scotland’s under-21s as they take on Malta in a European qualifier.

Liverpool’s international involvement for October culminates with matchday 4 of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. All three games featuring Reds players take place in the early hours of Wednesday morning GMT.

Diaz‘s Colombia are first up in the altitude of Ecuador (12:30am), with Nunez and Alisson in opposition as Uruguay host Brazil (1am). Finally, for those with the fortitude to stay up until 3am, you can see Mac Allister‘s Argentina in action against Peru.

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(Video) Diogo Jota piledriver among Liverpool forward’s double as Portugal rout Luxembourg https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/09/11/diogo-jota-goal-portugal-luxembourg/ Mon, 11 Sep 2023 20:43:09 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=240933 Liverpool forward Diogo Jota got his name on the scoresheet twice for Portugal on Monday night as they emphatically saw off Luxembourg in their Euro 2024 qualifier. The home side had the result effectively bagged by half-time, taking a 4-0 lead into the interval in Faro, and the 26-year-old added his team’s fifth goal of […]

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Liverpool forward Diogo Jota got his name on the scoresheet twice for Portugal on Monday night as they emphatically saw off Luxembourg in their Euro 2024 qualifier.

The home side had the result effectively bagged by half-time, taking a 4-0 lead into the interval in Faro, and the 26-year-old added his team’s fifth goal of the night on 57 minutes.

He was the beneficiary of a sublime pass from Bruno Fernandes, ghosting past the nearest defender to get on the end of the delivery and nod the ball in front of him before lashing it past the helpless Anthony Moris.

Twenty minutes later, following a sixth Portuguese goal, Jota doubled his tally for the night when he latched onto a loose ball into the penalty area after Luxembourg failed to clear, compounding the misery for the beleaguered visitors as they eventually succumbed 9-0.

The Liverpool attacker’s brace takes him to 12 goals for his country on the occasion of his 33rd cap (Transfermarkt) and sees him return to Anfield full of confidence – let’s see plenty more of those confident finishes at club level over the coming weeks and months!

You can see Jota’s first goal below (taken from beIN SPORTS’ match coverage), shared on Twitter/X by @Denzoo5:

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(Video) Liverpool star Jordan Henderson grabs an assist during convincing first half for England https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/06/19/henderson-assist-england-north-macedonia/ Mon, 19 Jun 2023 20:02:21 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=236777 Jordan Henderson helped himself to an assist during a convincing first-half display by England in their Euro 2024 qualifier against North Macedonia on Monday night. The Liverpool captain had a hand in the Three Lions’ third goal on the stroke of half-time as he teed up Marcus Rashford for a simple finish at Old Trafford. […]

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Jordan Henderson helped himself to an assist during a convincing first-half display by England in their Euro 2024 qualifier against North Macedonia on Monday night.

The Liverpool captain had a hand in the Three Lions’ third goal on the stroke of half-time as he teed up Marcus Rashford for a simple finish at Old Trafford.

Harry Kane capitalised on careless play out from the back by the away side and he laid off the ball to the Reds skipper, who surged to the edge of the six-yard box before cutting it back for the Manchester United forward to provide the close-range finish and put Gareth Southgate’s team in a very commanding position going into the interval.

It was Henderson’s 11th assist for England on the night of his 76th international cap (Transfermarkt) and his second time setting up a goal at Old Trafford, having set up Mo Salah’s hat-trick clincher in Liverpool’s legendary 5-0 win at the venue in October 2021.

With the home side adding to their advantage early in the second half, it looks like being another night where the Reds’ number 14 registers a goal contributon in an emphatic win at the Manchester venue.

You can see Henderson’s assist for Rashford below, via @VMSportIE on Twitter:

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(Video) Liverpool star Andy Robertson enjoyed what Scotland fans did during post-game interview https://www.empireofthekop.com/2023/06/18/robertson-salute-scotland-fans-norway/ Sun, 18 Jun 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.empireofthekop.com/?p=236714 Andy Robertson looked a very happy man in the immediate aftermath of Scotland’s Euro 2024 qualifier away to Norway on Saturday, and with good reason. The Liverpool defender captained Steve Clarke’s side as they scored two late goals to turn a prospective 1-0 defeat into a stunning 2-1 victory in Oslo. The win maintains their […]

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Andy Robertson looked a very happy man in the immediate aftermath of Scotland’s Euro 2024 qualifier away to Norway on Saturday, and with good reason.

The Liverpool defender captained Steve Clarke’s side as they scored two late goals to turn a prospective 1-0 defeat into a stunning 2-1 victory in Oslo.

The win maintains their 100% record at the top of their qualifying group and leaves them in a very commanding position to reach their second consecutive European Championship finals.

Robertson was speaking with the Viaplay Sports punditry team shortly after the final whistle, during which the Reds left-back was serenaded in song by jubilant Scotland fans near the corner of the pitch where the interview was taking place.

As the chants grew louder, the 29-year-old turned towards the travelling Tartan Army and, wearing a beaming smile of approval and appreciation, he raised his arm in salute of those singing his name.

Having led by example with a performance which included a 100% dribble success rate, three interceptions and five successful duels out of seven (Sofascore), it was little wonder the Scottish supporters were treating their skipper to a vocal chorus of ‘Andy Andy Andy Andy Robertson’.

You can catch the clip of Robbo saluting the Scotland fans below, as shared by @ViaplaySportsUK on Twitter (from 1:40):

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