Somehow, just when it seems like the European top flights are starting to get into full swing, another international break is upon us. For Bayern Munich, the break is actually coming at somewhat of a convenient time given our poor run of form over the last two weeks in all competitions.

Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, Niklas Süle, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, and Thomas Müller have all been called up by Joachim Low for Germany duty. Elsewhere, Thiago has been called up to the Spain squad, James Rodriguez will join-up with the Colombia squad, Renato Sanches will represent Portugal, and Robert Lewandowski will captain Poland for their pair of matches.

UEFA Nations League matches

Poland vs. Portugal - Thursday, October 11th (ESPN)

• Poland are coming off of two draws to open their UEFA Nations League campaign; producing a shock result in their first match; a 1-1 draw against Italy.
• Robert Lewandowski will earn his 100th CAP for Poland, making it the perfect occasion to mark with a goal for the captain.
• Renato Sanches will look to make a contribution when he’s called upon to help bolster his fortunes with Niko Kovac, who’s shown plenty of faith in him.
• Robbie and Renato. please don’t injure each other - keep it clean!

Netherlands vs. Germany - Saturday, October 13th (ESPN)

• Low has made a number of changes to his 23-man roster, but the usual Bayern suspects have all maintained their spots in the squad, although some of them might not see any minutes in this match
• Germany have a draw vs. France and a win vs. Peru ever since their World Cup woes, and their record against the Dutch is favorable as they haven’ lost to them in their previous five meetings

Poland vs. Italy - Sunday, October 14th (ESPN)

• If their first meeting (1-1 draw) was any indicator of how this match is going to play out, we’re in for a real treat for round two!

Spain vs. England - Monday, October 15th (ESPN)

• This fixture last time out at Wembley produced late, late drama as Spain cameo out on top 2-1 winners. Thiago provided the assist for Spain’s second goal in that match, so hopefully he can replicate his Wembley performance in Seville if he’s in the starting eleven.

France vs. Germany - Tuesday, October 16th (ESPN)

• Plain and simple, round one finished 0-0 in Munich, time for round 2 in Saint-Denis!
• This is quite arguably THE match to watch from the bunch during the international break.

Photo by Simon Hofmann - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

Friendlies

Wales vs. Spain - Thursday, October 11th (TV Listings)

• With Spain’s stacked squad, this could be a fantastic opportunity for Thiago to start, given that Spain have a UEFA Nations League match against England later on during the break.
• Gareth Bale will have fond memories of the venue (Cardiff National Stadium), having won the 2017 Champions League final with Real Madrid there. Can his Wales side make a statement vs. Spain?

United States vs. Colombia - Thursday, October 11th (FS1, Fox Soccer Match Pass)

• A massive test for the new-look USMNT, but James Rodriguez will want to put in a solid shift, especially after a lack of minutes in the beginning of the season with Bayern.
• Bundesliga stars Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, John Brooks, and Bobby Wood are all in the USMNT squad - BUNDESLIGA REPRESENT!

Photo by Maja Hitij - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

Scotland vs. Portugal - Sunday, October 14th (TV Listings)

• If Renato Sanches doesn’t start and/or get decent minutes against Poland, this friendly could be his chance to shine with the Portuguese national team.
• On this day, this will be the only match going on with a Bayern player involved at that time, so Kovac will more than likely tune in if Sanches starts.

Colombia vs. Costa Rica - Tuesday, October 16th (TV Listings not available)

• Not quite sure if James is going to play in this match or not to be quite honest, but when two CONCACAF and/or CONMEBOL sides meet, it hardly ever seems like a friendly, so if he does, we really hope he doesn’t pickup a needless injury...