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      Why isn’t Timo Werner in the Germany squad for the World Cup?

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      Germany will meet Japan in their opening match of the 2022 World Cup but there is no space in the side for Timo Werner.The RB Leipzig forward missed out on a place in the side for Hansi Flick’s first major tournament with the Germans.
      Timo Werner in action for GermanyCredit: Reuters
      The 26-year-old had amassed 55 caps for his national side as far, as well as re-finding his form on his return to Leipzig after two seasons of struggle at Chelsea.
      Despite the improvement in performances, there is no space for him in the 26 man squad list.
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      Why isn’t Timo Werner in the Germany squad for the World Cup?
      It’s likely Germany will miss the goals of Werner, who has netted 24 times for his national side.
      The forward tore his ankle ligament during RB Leipzig’s 4-0 Champions League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk which has left him unable to compete in Qatar.
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      Werner’s fine scoring form for Germany could’ve been integral in righting their wrongs of the previous world cup which saw them knocked out during the group stages.
      Although their is currently no return date for the Leipzig striker, it is expected that he will be out for the rest of the year. More

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      Chelsea players at World Cup 2022: Who has been CONFIRMED for Qatar and who is staying at home?

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      WITH the World Cup just around the corner, managers have started to announce their squads travelling to Qatar.Gareth Southgate confirmed a squad which included a trio of Chelsea stars.
      Raheem Sterling is Chelsea’s top scorer so far this seasonCredit: Conor Molloy/News Images
      It was likely to have been more if Reece James and Ben Chilwell had been fit. But the pair’s injuries have ruled them out of Southgate’s plans.
      N’golo Kante would almost definitely have played for France too, but he will remain in London as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
      SunSport have taken a look at all the Chelsea players who will feature in Qatar.
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      England
      Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling became stalwarts of England’s starting eleven during the Euro’s, and have been called up again this year.
      They will be joined by the less experienced Conor Gallagher who has just four international appearances under his belt.
      Brazil
      Veteran defender Thiago Silva is expected to not only play, but may captain his nation in Qatar, with over 100 caps to his name.
      Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling are going to the World Cup with EnglandCredit: Getty
      Croatia
      Blues midfielder Matteo Kovacic is predicted to slip in alongside Luka Modric in his country’s bid to go one step further than 2018’s final.
      Morocco
      Hakim Ziyech has been called up for his country after retiring from international duty last year, following a row with former manager Vahid Halilhodzic.
      The winger has fallen out of favour under Graham Potter, and will look to use the tournament as a springboard to rejuvenate his career.
      Germany
      Chelsea star Kai Havertz has become one of the first names on Germany’s team sheet, competing in the last seven consecutive tournaments for his country.
      Kai Havertz scored two goals for Germany against England in a 3-3 draw during the Nations leagueCredit: PA
      Switzerland
      Having only made one appearance since moving to West London on transfer deadline day, Denis Zakaria will be hoping to make his mark in Qatar, with many Chelsea fans watching on.
      USA
      Christian Pulisic has become his country’s main man under Gregg Berhalter. And England fans can expect to come across him when the sides meet in Group B.
      Wales
      England will also face Ethan Ampadu, who is currently on loan in Italy, and has been selected for Rob Page’s side.

      Belgium
      Romelu Lukaku struggled for form in a Chelsea shirt last season. However, the 29-year-old, currently on loan at Inter, has been called up by Roberto Martinez after scoring four goals during the 2018 World Cup.
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      Senegal
      Chelsea duo Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly will be on the plane to Qatar after being named in the Senegal squad, alongside the shock inclusion of Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane.
      Spain
      Blues captain Cesar Azpilicueta will be looking to add to his impressive trophy haul in Qatar, having been named in Spain’s squad.
      STAYING AT HOME
      Injured Reece James, Ben Chilwell, N’Golo Kante and Wesley Fofana will all remain at home as they recover from injuries.
      James was optimistic of making the squad despite being unavailable for Chelsea in recent weeks, but Southgate opted against taking the wing-back.
      Kepa Arrizabalaga also failed to make the cut for Spain despite impressive form, with the goalkeeper also facing a spell on the sidelines. More

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      Why isn’t Liverpool’s Diogo Jota in the Portugal squad for the World Cup?

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      PORTUGAL kick off their World Cup campaign against Ghana as Diogo Jota won’t be featuring in the side.Fernando Santos wasn’t short of attacking options when it came to picking his 26-man-squad to head to Qatar, however one man missing for the team in red and green is Diogo Jota.
      Diogo Jota misses out on making his first appearance at the World CupCredit: Getty
      The 25-year-old forward has being doing a great job of proving his £45million price tag from Wolves, scoring 24 goals in 58 games for Liverpool.
      Although Jota will be unable to increase his 29 caps for Portugal with Santos making the decision to keep him out of the side.
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      Why isn’t Diogo Jota in the Portugal squad for the World Cup?
      The absence of Jota has proven difficult for the Merseyside outfit in recent times, especially since the departure of Senegalese sensation Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich in the summer.
      Liverpool’s number 20 suffered a calf injury during their 1-0 victory against Manchester City in October which saw him stretchered off during stoppage time.
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      The injury to Jota means that he will miss the chance to represent his nation at the World Cup for the first time.
      Despite not needing surgery, it looks like the forward will have a sizeable lay-off before looking to return to action by the end of the season. More

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      Liverpool players at World Cup 2022: Who has been CONFIRMED for Qatar and who is staying at home?

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      LIVERPOOL stars look for a change in fortune as they head to Qatar in poor form.Despite a rocky start to the season for the Merseyside outfit, Qatar comes calling for Brazilian and English duo meanwhile it’s injury and despair for forwards Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz.
      Virgil Van Dijk, Fabinho and Alisson will all feature at the 2022 World CupCredit: The Times
      Alisson and Fabinho are confirmed to be in Brazil’s 26-man-squad however fellow countryman Roberto Firmino missed out on a place on the plane.
      Here’s our guide to the Liverpool players representing their nations in the middle-east.
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      ENGLAND
      Jordan Henderson will feature in his third and most likely final World Cup for England as Trent Alexander-Arnold embarks on his first after missing out on Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2021 side due to injury.
      BRAZIL
      Alisson and Fabinho will be wearing the famous yellow jersey in Qatar.
      FRANCE
      Young defender Ibrahima Konate has been selected by Didier Deschamps for the France squad.
      Darwin Nunez will attend his first World Cup as Uruguay search for successCredit: Getty
      NETHERLANDS
      Virgil Van Djik will look to further the achievements of the 2010 final reaching side as he captains Netherlands into the tournament.
      URUGUAY
      £64million man Darwin Nunez has found form at the right time as he gets the call up.
      STAYING AT HOME
      The most notable absence from the competition will be Mohammed Salah after his missed penalty against Senegal saw Egypt lose out on a spot in the tournament.
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      Andy Robertson and Joel Matip’s World Cup hopes ended in similar fashion as Scotland and Cameroon also failed to qualify.
      Diogo Jota has been ruled out of the Portuguese squad through a calf injury he suffered against Manchester City in October whilst Colombia’s Luis Diaz is still recovering from a knee injury.
      Spanish manager Luis Enrique has left out midfield maestro Thiago as he will be watching from home along with Brazil’s Roberto Firmino as well as England duo Joe Gomez and Harvey Elliot, all of which not being favourable selections with their managers. More

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      Who is the oldest FIFA World Cup goal scorer?

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      PLAYING at the World Cup is the pinnacle of any footballer’s career but it’s sometimes the players at the tail-end of their journey who create the best stories.The Qatar World Cup will be one-of-a-kind with it being the first in the tournaments 92-year history to be hosted during winter.
      39-year-old Atiba Hutchinson in action for CanadaCredit: AP
      This year sees Canadian midfield veteran holding the unwanted title of oldest player in the competition. But a goal from the 39-year-old would only see him reach number two on the list of oldest scorers in the tournament.
      A hattrick for anyone over the age of 33 years and 130 days will see them break the record set by Cristiano Ronaldo during the 2018 Russian World Cup during Portugal’s 3-3 draw to Spain.
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      Who is the oldest FIFA World Cup goal scorer?
      Three players have managed to find the net at the age of 37, the youngest of which being Panama’s Felipe Baloy who at 37 years and 120 days found himself on the scoresheet in their 6-1 defeat to England in 2018.
      Roger Milla and Omeg Salenko after Milla became the oldest goalscorer at a World CupCredit: PA:Press Association
      Swede Gunnar Gren and Mexican Cuauhtémoc Blanco make up second and third place respectively, yet are still five years younger than the current record holder.
      However it’s none other than the Cameroonian legend Roger Milla who holds the prestigious title of the oldest man to score in a World Cup game.
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      With 42 years and 39 days under his belt, Milla bagged a consolation goal against Russia in a 6-1 defeat during the group stages, breaking his own record he set four years previous in Italia 1990.
      Milla wasn’t the only player to break a record that day, as Russian forward Omeg Salenko became the first and only player to score five goals in a single World Cup game.
      Whilst holding onto the record of the oldest scorer, Milla lost out to Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary in 2018 as the oldest player to feature in a World Cup game topping the list at 45 years of age. More

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      Why isn’t Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante playing for France at the World Cup?

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      FRANCE kick off their World Cup campaign against Australia in Qatar yet there will be an absence in the French midfield with N’Golo Kante missing out on a seat on the plane.Didier Deschamps released his 26-man squad list for the tournament on Wednesday with the Chelsea midfielder not featuring.
      N’Golo Kante in action for FranceCredit: Getty
      Kante was an integral piece of the Les Blues 2018 World Cup winning side with the then 27-year-old playing every minute for the national side.
      Now four years on, the rise of young talents such as Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni has provided Kante with heightened competition for a place in the midfield.
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      Why isn’t N’Golo Kante playing for France at the World Cup?
      The absence of the midfielder will be a huge blow for France as well as for Chelsea as shown by their poor defensive record as of late.
      The Blues number six has been sidelined for four months due to a hamstring injury suffered during a 2-2 draw with Tottenham in August.
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      The injury has meant Kante will miss the opportunity to help France to become only the third side to retain the World Cup.
      Providing all goes will with the 31-year-olds recovery, it looks likely we will see him return to action soon after the season proceeds. More

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      Denmark vs Tunisia: Kick-off time, TV channel, live stream free and team news for World Cup 2022 match

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      DENMARK get their World Cup campaign underway against Tunisia as they look to build on a very impressive Euro 2020.The Danes recovered from the horror of Christian Eriksen collapsing on the pitch in their opening match to reach the semi-final.
      Christian Eriksen and Denmark will be looking to impress in the World CupCredit: Reuters
      A farcical Mali own goal saw Tunisia qualify for a second straight World CupCredit: Getty
      And they pushed England all the way before Harry Kane netted the winner off a rebound from a controversial extra time penalty won for the Three Lions.
      Tunisia are making their second straight World Cup appearance after a careless Mali own goal saw them make it through the African play-off.
      That result saw them earn revenge on the Malians for a bizarre defeat at the Africa Cup of Nations months earlier.
      World champions France take on Australia in the other Group D first round match.
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      What time does Denmark vs Tunisia kick off?
      Denmark take on Tunisia on Tuesday, November 22.
      The match kicks off at 1pm UK time – 4pm local time.
      It will be played at Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan.
      The sides have only met once before, back in 2002, when Denmark ran out 2-1 winners in a pre-World Cup friendly in Japan.
      What TV channel is Denmark vs Tunisia on and can I live stream it?
      Denmark vs Tunisia is live on ITV.
      To stream the game live, head to the ITV Hub.
      Can I watch Denmark vs Tunisia for free?
      Yes. ITV is FREE for all UK viewers with a TV licence.
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      Argentina vs Saudi Arabia: Kick-off time, TV channel, live stream free and team news for World Cup 2022 match

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      LIONEL MESSI gets what is likely to be his last ever bid to win a World Cup underway as Argentina face Saudi Arabia.The Albiceleste have been hugely impressive under boss Lionel Scaloni, who delivered a first Copa America since 1993 last year.
      Qatar 2022 is potentially Lionel Messi’s last chance to bring the World Cup to ArgentinaCredit: Getty
      Saudi Arabia impressed by winning their World Cup qualifying groupCredit: AFP
      And they then cruised through South American qualifying, finishing behind only Brazil.
      Messi then added a second international trophy to his collection in the summer, as Argentina beat Italy 3-0 to win the Uefa-Conmebol Finalissima at Wembley.
      Saudi Arabia have only got out of a World Cup group once, in 1994, and a repeat performance is not expected this time around.
      However, the Saudis are not to be underestimated as they came top of a qualifying group also containing Australia and Japan.
      At the last World Cup, Saudi Arabia were one of the first teams knocked out of the competition.
      But they did manage to return home with pride after securing a shock victory over Mo Salah and Egypt.
      Mexico and Poland are the other two teams making up World Cup Group C.
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      What time does Argentina vs Saudi Arabia kick off?
      Argentina take on Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, November 22.
      The match kicks off at 10am UK time – 1pm local time.
      It will be played at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar.
      The sides last met in 2012, when they played out a 0-0 draw in a friendly in Riyadh.
      What TV channel is Argentina vs Saudi Arabia on and can I live stream it?
      Argentina vs Saudi Arabia will be live on ITV.
      To stream the game live, head to the ITV Hub.
      Can I watch Argentina vs Saudi Arabia for free?
      Yes. ITV is FREE for all UK viewers with a TV licence.
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