The last batch of international matches certainly did not disappoint, with Cristiano Ronaldo's historic making efforts grabbing most of the headlines after the Portuguese superstar now has cemented his place as the all-time top goalscorer in international competitions. There were also some surprise results, namely with EURO 2020 winners Italy failing to beat either Eastern European minnows Bulgaria or Switzerland in their first two games.
Here's all you need to know ahead of matchday six.
What big games will I want to bookmark from this round?
Tuesday, September 7th
Azerbaijan vs Portugal: The hosts finally ended their losing run with a draw against Ireland, but it certainly won't be enough to give them any momentum when Portugal come to town. Having won just one of their last 13 matches across all competitions, Giovanni De Biasi's men are the vast underdogs and will simply hope to keep the scoreline as respectable as possible when Cristiano Ronaldo and his colleagues arrive. Portugal are still behind Serbia on goal difference, with the Serbs continuing to fight tooth and nail for top spot and this game could present a great chance for Portugal to just not pick up a win, but also add some goals on the board to knock Serbia out of first place.
France vs Finland: Four points separate France and Finland, but Les Bleus will be looking to get back to winning ways after their shock draw with Ukraine. They were also dealt a major blow after Kylian Mbappe had to leave camp due to a calf injury, and had to claw their way back to secure a point after Ukraine managed to snatch an early goal and tried to park the bus. Of major concern will be the fact that Didier Deschamps's men have failed to win their last five games across all comps and that they were also held to a draw with another minnow, Bosnia, in their last tie. Will Finland, who are no strangers to upsets, prove to be a stumbling block?
Netherlands vs Turkey: It will be an interesting clash as Netherlands take on Turkey, as the Oranje sit just one point behind the surprise group leaders. Given Turkey's poor showing at EURO 2020, the fact that they're on top of their group does come as a major shock, but somehow, the Crescent-Stars continue to stay ahead of the chasing pack. The hosts will certainly be confident of snatching top spot, especially after cruising to a 4-0 win over a vastly inferior Montenegro side, but Turkey do have a decent track record against the Netherlands as of late; they've won their last two meetings and haven't lost to the Dutch since October 2013.
Wednesday, September 8th
Poland vs England: Both Poland and England come into this match in excellent form, with the hosts crushing San Marino 7-1 while the Three Lions dispatched Andorra 4-0. Before that, Gareth Southgate's men had earned a deserved win over Hungary by the same score-line. That's despite the awful and disgusting racial abuse several of England's players suffered at the hands of the Hungarian home support, many of whom threw projectiles at squad members. England have earned a perfect 15 points so far from their first five games, and have won eight of their last 10 meetings with Poland, including a recent 2-1 win with goals from Harry Kane and Harry Maguire.
Belarus vs Belgium: After an easy 3-0 win over the Czech Republic, Belgium could rotate their squad for what should be a straightforward away games against Belarus. The hosts were beaten 3-2 by Wales, with Gareth Bale scoring a hat-trick, and have only beaten Estonia so far in qualifying. It's safe to say that it will be an uphill battle for the Eastern European nation, who were humiliated in their last meeting with Belgium as Roberto Mancini's men ran riot in a 8-0 thrashing of their opponents. Furthermore, despite Belgium's failure to deliver at EURO 2020, the Red Devils have won 11 of their last 12 qualification matches on the road, and haven't lost a World Cup qualifying match since a shock 2-0 loss to Estonia back in 2009.
Iceland vs Germany: So far, so good for new coach Hansi Flick, who has seen his team pick up resounding wins over Armenia (6-0) and Liechtenstein (2-0). Iceland will present a tougher opponent, but certainly the former Bayern manager will feel his squad have enough in them to make it three wins in three games and consolidate their spot on top of Group J. As for Iceland, who burst onto the scene at EURO 2016, things haven't gone so swimmingly for them over the past few years. Not only did they fail to qualify for this past summer's Euro competition but also failed to beat both Romania and North Macedonia - two teams nowhere near the level of die Mannshcaft. As such, they could be in for a really stern test in this clash.
Italy vs Lithuania: Italy are another side who haven't been at their very best during qualifying. Although the Azzurri are still unbeaten, two draws with Bulgaria and Switzerland aren't the results fans were looking to see, but Roberto Mancini's men will have a chance to get things rights as they take on Lithuania. Fortunately, perhaps, for the EURO 2020 winners, they'll be hosting a side who they've beaten three times in their last five encounters and in fact, have never lost to in national team history.
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