Newcastle United will have six of their players participating for their respective nations in the 2022 FIFA World Cup which will be held in Qatar for the first time in the tournament’s history. The Magpies will have a total of three non-English players taking part in the competition.
Let’s take a look at three Newcastle United players and try to determine how they will perform in this edition of the FIFA World Cup.
Bruno Guimaraes (Brazil)
The 25-year-old has enjoyed a brilliant season at St. James’ Park after he put in a handful of impressive displays at the heart of Newcastle’s midfield. Guimaraes has found the back of the net three times and grabbed two assists in 14 matches for the Magpies during this campaign across all competitions.
The Rio de Janeiro-born talent will be one of the contenders to start for the Brazilian national side when they kick off their World Cup campaign later this month. He will face some stiff competition from Liverpool’s Fabinho, Manchester United’s Fred and Casemiro in the race to secure a regular starting spot for Brazil in the tournament.
Fabian Schar (Switzerland)
The 30-year-old had a tough season at St. James’ Park recently. However, he has recovered well and has been a rock at the back for the Magpies during this campaign. Schar has been involved in 14 matches for the Tyneside club this season, scoring one goal across multiple competitions.
More importantly, the Swiss sensation has been a dominant force on the defensive end of the field as he is averaging 1.1 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 4.4 clearances per 90 minutes in the Premier League. He has even distributed the ball relatively well from the back, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 75.7% in the top tier of English football (stats via whoscored).
Hence, we can expect Schar to play a crucial role for Switzerland when the World Cup starts in Qatar in a few days’ time. He will have to form a solid defensive partnership with Manuel Akanji and Eray Cömert at the centre of the Swiss backline.
Garang Kuol (Australia)
The 18-year-old is currently enjoying an impressive loan spell at Central Coast, on loan from Newcastle United. Kuol has managed to put in some impressive displays as the focal point of the Australian outfit’s attack and deserves credit for scoring twice and grabbing two assists in four matches for them so far this season.
Kuol will have to settle for a spot on Australia’s bench in this edition of the FIFA World Cup.
