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<\/div>\nThe Qatar 2022 World Cup starts on 20 November \u2013 with a unique winter build-up meaning many of the world\u2019s top stars playing club football right up until a week before the tournament starts.<\/p>\n
England already have their own defensive worries and a packed domestic schedule will surely mean further scares for manager Gareth Southgate, with Wales boss Rob Page also closely monitoring his squad.<\/p>\n
But which other countries have real worries over the fitness of their key men?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Few thought the right-back position would be an area of concern for Southgate, especially given the plethora of options he\u2019s historically had at his disposal. However, that has all changed in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
Reece James:\u00a0<\/strong>a\u00a0knee injury\u00a0picked up against AC Milan leaves the Chelsea man a major doubt for the tournament.<\/p>\n Kyle Walker:\u00a0<\/strong>The Manchester City defender was left with six weeks to recover his fitness after groin surgery \u2013 but says he is\u00a0\u201cconfident\u201d\u00a0of making the World Cup squad.<\/p>\n John Stones<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Harry Maguire:\u00a0<\/strong>Manchester City\u2019s Stones and Manchester United\u2019s Maguire have both not played since suffering hamstring injuries in the\u00a03-3 Nations League draw with Germany\u00a0last month.<\/p>\n Kalvin Phillips<\/strong>: The Manchester City midfielder is a major doubt after a dislocated shoulder suffered in September.<\/p>\n Gareth Bale<\/strong>\u00a0should be fit to lead Wales\u2019 first World Cup campaign in 64 years despite appearing sparingly for Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC.<\/p>\n Tom Lawrence:\u00a0<\/strong>The Dragons will probably be without the Rangers forward in the Gulf state after he aggravated a knee injury that could sideline him until December.<\/p>\n Joe Allen:\u00a0<\/strong>The veteran midfielder has not played for Swansea in more than a month after going down with a hamstring problem.<\/p>\n Didier Deschamps\u2019 defending champions have arguably the largest injury list \u2013 from an admittedly frighteningly strong squad \u2013 of any country heading into the four-week event.<\/p>\n N\u2019Golo Kante:\u00a0<\/strong>The defensive midfielder\u00a0will miss the World Cup\u00a0following surgery to correct a hamstring problem.<\/p>\n Paul Pogba:\u00a0<\/strong>The former Manchester United midfielder has not played since returning to Juventus this summer following knee surgery.<\/p>\n Wesley Fofana:\u00a0<\/strong>Kante\u2019s Chelsea team-mate limped off during the 3-0 Champions League home win over AC Milan and is\u00a0unlikely to play for the Blues\u00a0before the World Cup.<\/p>\n Lucas Hernandez:\u00a0<\/strong>The Bayern Munich utility man injured his groin in a Champions League victory over Barcelona last month, although his agent has claimed he will return before the end of October.<\/p>\n Boubacar Kamara:\u00a0<\/strong>The 22-year-old\u00a0tore knee ligaments\u00a0just eight matches into his Aston Villa career and will be out until after the World Cup.<\/p>\n One Premier League player remains a major doubt for a Brazil side looking to lift the World Cup for the first time since 2002, but injured Richarlison is now likely to compete.<\/p>\n Richarlison:\u00a0<\/strong>The Tottenham forward was seen on crutches after\u00a0suffering a calf injury\u00a0in Spurs\u2019 2-0 win over Everton on 15 October, but Tottenham boss Antonio Conte says the Brazil forward\u00a0should be available\u00a0for the World Cup following a scan.<\/p>\n Richarlison added on\u00a0Twitter:\u00a0\u201cGuys, thank God it was just a big scare!! Two weeks and I\u2019ll be back! Thank you for the messages and affection.\u201d<\/p>\n Arthur Melo:<\/strong>\u00a0Liverpool\u2019s on-loan Juventus midfielder was\u00a0not so upbeat\u00a0on social media, saying he expects a thigh injury to keep him out of contention for a place on the plane to Qatar.<\/p>\n Manager Fernando Santos could be deprived of the services of four important players for their Group H campaign against Ghana, South Korea and Uruguay.<\/p>\n Diogo Jota:\u00a0<\/strong>The Liverpool forward will\u00a0miss the World Cup\u00a0after he was taken off on a stretcher with a thigh injury in added time of their 1-0 Premier League win over Manchester City on 18 October.<\/p>\n Pedro Neto:<\/strong>\u00a0Wolves said the 22-year-old striker will\u00a0miss the World Cup\u00a0after an ankle injury sustained against West Ham on 1 October left him requiring surgery.<\/p>\n Pepe\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Nuno Mendes:<\/strong>\u00a0Porto expect 39-year-old Pepe to miss several games with a sprained knee, while fellow defender Mendes will be out for a few weeks with a muscle issue.<\/p>\n The Germans\u2019 main worries centre around a Die Mannschaft stalwart with 48 caps and 15 international goals to his name and a Bayern Munich forward in good form.<\/p>\n Marco Reus<\/strong>: The 33-year-old Borussia Dortmund skipper damaged ankle ligaments in September. An ankle injury also kept him out of Germany\u2019s World Cup triumph in Brazil in 2014.<\/p>\n Leroy Sane:\u00a0<\/strong>The 26-year-old tore his left thigh muscle during Bayern Munich\u2019s 5-0 win over Freiburg on Sunday. The club has not given a timeframe for Sane\u2019s recovery, only saying they will be without the forward \u201cfor the time being.\u201d<\/p>\n The Netherlands, a potential last-16 opponent for England or Wales, will also be missing an experienced international operator.<\/p>\n Georginio Wijnaldum<\/strong>: The 31-year-old former Liverpool midfielder, capped 86 times, suffered a\u00a0fractured tibia in his right leg\u00a0after just playing one game on loan at Roma.<\/p>\n The 2014 runners-up will also have to cope without a Roma man.<\/p>\n Paulo Dybala<\/strong>: The 28-year-old will miss the competition after picking up a freak thigh injury while taking a penalty for Jose Mourinho\u2019s side in Serie A in early October.<\/p>\n Angel Di Maria:\u00a0<\/strong>The former Manchester United winger also suffered a thigh injury on Champions League duty for Juventus last week and will be out for three weeks, leaving him in a race against time to be fit.<\/p>\n The US, Group B opponents of England and Wales, have two key injuries at either end of the pitch.<\/p>\n Daryl Dike:<\/strong>\u00a0The West Bromwich Albion striker has been out with a thigh issue since August and it is still unknown whether he will return before the November break.<\/p>\n Miles Robinson:\u00a0<\/strong>An Achilles tendon tear has ruled out the Atlanta United centre-back.<\/p>\n Boss Gerardo Martino has huge concerns over two of his top stars, but says he will give both until the very last minute to prove their fitness.<\/p>\n Raul Jimenez:\u00a0<\/strong>The Wolves forward has not played since 31 August due to a groin injury and is a huge doubt for the tournament.<\/p>\n Jesus Corona:<\/strong>\u00a0The Sevilla winger broke his leg in August but is recovering ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n Marcelo Brozovic:\u00a0<\/strong>The Inter Milan midfielder has not played in almost a month after coming off with a thigh injury during Croatia\u2019s Nations League win over Austria in September.<\/p>\n Ronald Araujo:<\/strong>\u00a0Barcelona stated in September the defender would likely miss the tournament due to surgery on a torn thigh muscle that would keep him out for two to three months.<\/p>\n Jakub Moder:\u00a0<\/strong>The Brighton midfielder will not feature for the Poles in Qatar after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in April.<\/p>\n Atiba Hutchinson:<\/strong>\u00a0The Canada captain, 39, has not played at all this term for his club side, Turkish outfit, Besiktas, after suffering a bone bruise in pre-season.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n