Top 5 players missing out on international fixtures this week

All the club football action has been put on hold for the next 10 days as international games take centre-stage once again, as they resume after a gap of 5 weeks. Several high-profile players will be seen donning the national colours over the course of the week. However, there are a few exceptions who'll be out of the picture due to injuries or being omitted from the squad. Here's a list of 5 such players stockpiled across this slideshow.

#1 Ramires

Chelsea midfielder Ramires has dropped out of the Brazil squad for the friendlies against Argentina and Japan and will be replaced by Souza of Sao Paulo, the Brazilian Football Confederation said on Thursday. The 27-year old suffered an adductor muscle injury last month and has been out of the picture since then.

The Brazilian had performed well in the league, scoring a goal and adding three assists while appearing in 4 of the 5 Premier League games but the niggling injury has hampered his chances of bettering that tally. The former Benefica man will out for another week, hence missing out on Brazil’s upcoming fixtures.

#2 Sergio Ramos

Spanish centre-back Sergio Ramos has been ruled out of the Spain squad that’ll take on Slovakia and Luxembourg for the Euro 2016 qualifiers this week, thereby missing out on a chance to add to his 122 caps for La Roja. The 27-year old was forced off the pitch with a calf injury at half-time as Los Blancos thrashed Athletic Bilbao 5-0 at the Bernabeu on Sunday. The injury was sustained in a challenge with Bilbao forward Guillermo.and the dethroned champions will have to proceed without the servies of Ramos.

23-year old Barcelona centre-back Marc Bartra will step into the squad to deputize for the injured defender.

#3 Daniel Sturridge

England striker Daniel Sturridge picked up an injury during a training session with the national squad last month and it is still persisting. The former Chelsea man had signed a new lucrative deal with Liverpool worth £150,000 a week, but hasn’t made an appearance for the Reds’ since getting injured.

The attacker took to instagram to reveal that he’s finding it difficult to cope with the injury. The 25-year-old, who has not featured since the start of September, posted celebration pictures and wrote:

“Can’t wait for these moments again… Winning games and scoring goals is the motto.. Don’t think people realise how hard it is mentally being injured. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect. Can’t wait to be back!! Best feeling is to be playing football and I take it for granted when you’re fit.”

Roy Hodgson will now have to make sure his squad copes well in Sturridge’s absence.

#4 Mario Balotelli

Italy’s maverick striker Mario Balotelli has been dropped from Antonio Conte's squad for the team's Euro 2016 qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Malta, and Conte has come forward to defend his decision not to select the controversial forward.

As reported by Sky Sports, the former Juventus manager explained he wants the striker to settle into his new situation first before selecting him again “Mario has started a new path. It's not an easy one and I believe he must be given the necessary time to adapt at Liverpool. We are following him just as we monitor all Italians that play abroad. I make selections not exclusions, which is something completely different.”

The Liverpool forward has found the net only once this season and has been fairly mediocre for the Reds till now. Balotelli needs to re-discover his form if he has to regain his place in the Italy squad.

#5 Thibaut Courtois

Belgium are willing to rest Thibaut Courtois for the Euro 2016 qualifier against Andorra on Friday as the Chelsea goalkeeper continues to recover from the head injury he suffered in the 2-0 victory against Arsenal.

Courtois was forced to come off during Sunday's clash after colliding with Alexis Sanchez and was taken to the hospital for precautionary tests afterwards. The 22-year-old was then released on Sunday night, but he will still undergo some extra tests at Chelsea's training ground on Wednesday before he joins up with the Belgium squad.

According to the Times, Chelsea would rather their player not return to action so soon after the injury, but accept Belgium manager Marc Wilmots has the final decision. The Belgian coach, however, is relaxed about the situation and is willing to play Liverpool's Simon Mignolet instead should Courtois be deemed unfit.