Top seven matches to watchout for in March International break

Fans will have a good few games to watch out for

As the footballing globe prepares for the first international break of 2023, club football will be on pause for the following two weeks. On December 18 of last year, the Lionel Messi-led World Champion Argentina will play first ever match after winning the World Cup as the Albiceleste prepares for midweek games.

Italy, the reigning European champions, would try to regain its impetus after missing out on the World Cup for a second time in a row. Its window will open with a game versus England. In Euro 2024 qualification games, Kylian Mbappe's France, which placed second at the World Cup in Qatar, will be hoping to shrug off when they play their first national game.

Below we list the top 7 international games to look out for in March.

7. Luxembourgh vs Portugal

Portugal will play Luxembourg in a Euro qualifier, marking the A Selecao's first match since succumbing to Morocco in the 2022 World Cup. After that, they hired a new manager, Roberto Martinez, who replaced Fernando Santos. The player who joined Al-Nassr from Manchester United was also referred to by the former manager of Belgium. Meanwhile, Luxembourgh played their last game against Bulgaria on 22nd November.

6. Morocco vs Brazil

When Morocco and Brazil clash at Stadium Ibn Batouta in a friendly international match, all eyes will be on the stadium. Morocco exceeded expectations in the World Cup finals when they advanced to the semifinals, and they may undoubtedly complicate things for the Selecao. We anticipate that the hosts will win the game since important stars Achraf Hakimi, Noussair Mazraoui, and Sofyan Amrabat all were included in the squad.

Brazil will be looking to win the game against Morocco in order to put aside their shocking loss to Croatia in World 2022. without injured star Neymar, who will miss the remainder of the year. As a result of Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus' exclusion despite his full recovery from an injury, Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior is the primary player to watch in the South American squad.

5. Argentina vs Panama

In a friendly match this week, Argentina and Panama square off at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. The Albiceleste's first match since the 2022 FIFA World Cup championship game is this one.

Argentina enters every match with the intention of winning, whether it is a friendly match or a big final. The overwhelming favourites in this battle are Lionel Scaloni's men.

Panama, led by Thomas Christiansen, has won its last four games without a loss. Yet, their last four games have all been in draws after losing 2-1 to Qatar in a friendly in November of last year.

4. France vs Netherlands

In the 2022 World Cup final, Argentina defeated France, ending France's ambitions of becoming just the third nation to successfully defend the cup. Deschamps' France still have one of the best teams in global football, despite the agony of losing in Qatar.

The Oranje are vulnerable to a qualification meltdown, so how the Dutch players respond to Koeman taking over for van Gaal will be vital in determining their Euro 2024 fate.

3. Germany vs Belgium

After being shockingly eliminated from the group stage of the 2022 World Cup, Germany will be looking to redeem itself. Hansi Flick will be aiming for the players to return stronger when they host the Euro the following year and maybe win the tournament.

Even though they are considered to be part of the "golden generation," Belgium have since fallen into terrible shape and has had a difficult time in the tournaments. Euro 2024 may provide them with a chance to redeem themselves.

2. Italy vs England

On Thursday, England will visit the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in an effort to defeat Italy for the very first time since a friendly match in 2012. Ever since, the two teams have faced off frequently, with the Azzurri winning the 2021 European Championships and the 2022 Nations League group against Gareth Southgate's team going undefeated.

The Three Lions, who advanced to the 2022 World Cup final despite Italy's failure to qualify, are the favourites in this match, breaking with tradition. In reaction, Roberto Mancini has attempted to revamp his team. Yet with the skill available now, the former striker is having trouble.

1. Nigeria vs Guinea-Bissau

In order to keep their team fresh, Nigeria may make changes for the encounter against Guinea-Bissau, which would offer the latter team new hope of securing the victory they require. Nigeria will begin their AFCON qualifier against Guinea-Bissau. The game between Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria will be their second encounter.

Guinea-Bissau have never won the trophy and has remained a middling team in Africa, but they will be aiming to rectify that this time. Nigeria have won the AFCON since 2013 and will be hoping to claim the trophy next year.