The 2022 World Cup is only weeks away, and the anticipation for the most renowned tournament on the globe is reaching a fever pitch. The preliminary rosters of up to 55 players were released on the 21st of October, but there is still time before final squads are announced on the 14th of November.
It’s the perfect time to speculate on which Valencia players are likely to make the final squads, and who can make a serious impact for their national team.
Which Valencia CF Players are Likely to Make the Cut?
Having already notched a couple of assists this season for his club, Yunus Musah is pretty much locked in to play for the USMNT in Qatar, and will certainly be a contributor to the side.
Being able to rely on players like Musah from international leagues has grown the hype surrounding the talent in the USMNT, and the expectations have been raised in America.
The Yankees’ World Cup odds have been slashed on betting sites and many US World Cup Betting promotions are being offered for the American side leading up to their first appearance since 2014.
Valencia are full of talent for the 2022 World Cup, and that should certainly be aided by Valencia stars Hugo Guillamon and Jose Gaya. The latter recently signed on to stay at the club for the foreseeable future, which is great news for the fans who can now support the Spaniard playing with his countrymen without fear of being swayed away from the club.
Correia and Almeida to Miss Out
Unfortunately, there is probably going to be a notable absence of Valencia players on the Portuguese team in Qatar unless a major shock happens leading to a call-up for Thierry Correia and Andre Almeida.
Although Almeida has had a strong start to the season and immense potential to be a star both on the club level and for Portugal, the significant depth of talent available to Fernando Santos makes it unlikely.
Eray Cömert has played for his country on a big stage before, helping Switzerland to reach the quarter-finals at the 2020 Euros. While the Swiss defender has yet to make much of an impact on the international stage, if he get his shot in the back line, Comert should be able to exercise his technical skills to get the ball forward and help Switzerland out of the group stage again.
Once fit, Edinson Cavani has been a force for Valencia, leading the team in goals even though he has only played in a handful of matches. Given his immense club and international experience, Cavani will undoubtedly be looking to prove himself again in the World Cup, and make up for his injury in 2018 that contributed to Uruguay’s tournament ending.
If he can stay healthy, Cavani will be a key Valencia player to feature in Qatar, and will be a major reason Los Celestes can make a deep run this year.
There is a big question mark by Justin Kluivert’s name for the final Dutch roster. Louis van Gaal is back to lead the Oranje after they missed out on the 2018 World Cup, but based on international friendlies over the last year, the Valencia forward is doubtful to be called up, barring a number of injuries to the already experienced attacking line-up.
Final Squads Decided on November 14th
While the final 26-man rosters won’t be finalized until mid-November, we’re close enough to the 2022 World Cup to have a pretty solid idea of who will be making the trip to Qatar.
And it’s pretty good news for Valencia fans, who will have a number of players to look out for during the tournament, several of which are playing on teams with favourable odds to make a deep run into the knockout stage.