All eyes may be on Qatar in the coming weeks, however, many Premier League players who may not make it to the World Cup will be busy preparing their clubs for the current part of the season.
Premier League clubs organise educational camps and a number of friendlies, with the UAE being a popular destination.
The UAE’s warmer climate makes it an exciting option, and its proximity to Qatar means players can seamlessly sign up for their clubs’ groups if their national team is eliminated before the World Cup.
Since accommodation in Qatar is scarce, some have advised enthusiasts to “travel” to the World Cup from the United Arab Emirates. If enthusiasts did, they might also participate in friendlies along the way.
Liverpool and Arsenal are in Dubai and will play friendlies against AC Milan and Lyon. Both teams have a large number of players absent from the World Cup. Arsenal are also planning a friendly in the Emirates later in December. Chelsea, Leicester City and Manchester City are in Abu Dhabi, where they will also play friendlies.
Meanwhile, Manchester United will travel to Spain for an educational camp and games against Cadiz on December 7 and Real Betis on December 10. Tickets for those matches have been on sale since early November. Nottingham Forest will also be in Spain, betting on Valencia to mark the centenary of Mestalla, the stadium of the LaLiga team.
Everton went much further, travelling to Sydney in November for matches against Celtic and Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney’s inaugural Super Cup. taking advantage of the possibility of playing matches in a region where start times mean they may not be competing with the World Cup. Like a pre-season tour, Everton will hold open educational sessions for Down Under fans.
While much of the attention will be on the World Cup, those friendlies may attract an uncomfortable audience with the tournament in Qatar, and may be more popular than it seems at first glance.
Most other clubs have yet to verify their plans, but will have several friendlies in the foreign break. Crystal Palace will face Brazilian Botofogo at Selhurst Park and, along with Wolverhampton Wanderers, are also reported to be heading to Turkey, while Newcastle United will face Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia and host a friendly against Spanish side Rayo Vallecano in St. James. Park.
West Ham United and Fulham will face each other at Craven Cottage. Aston Villa will play a memorial match for the beaten Peter Whittingham in Cardiff and host Villareal, the former manager of new manager Unai Emery, and abroad for an educational camp. Real Sociedad is another La Liga team visiting England; they will play against Leeds United at Elland Road.
The fourth round of the Carabao Cup will take place midweek after the World Cup final, and for some groups it may serve as a de facto friendly final before the Premier League restarts. The players involved in the final stages of the World Cup will certainly not be involved in those games, so Manchester City’s link to Liverpool will likely see plenty of adjustments to the line-ups.