The 2 Tottenham players aiming to secure World Cup spots in March break

The March international break arrived at a good moment for Tottenham Hotspur, who have won two games of Premier League football since our players last joined up with their respective national teams in November.

It's been a torrid few months for the Lilywhites, so hopefully their international excursions will allow them to return refreshed and refocused, rather than injured. The significance of our final seven games of the season cannot be understated, especially after Nottingham Forest strolled into N17 on Sunday and waltzed out with a 3-0 victory.

The deflating defeat meant we missed out on a huge opportunity to allay unfathomable relegation fears, and the nature of our defeat will likely see interim manager Igor Tudor depart.

There's a chance that a litany of Spurs players will enter this summer's World Cup as Championship footballers, with the Lilywhites likely to be well represented in North America. However, a couple more are vying to qualify this month, with six spots up for grabs to complete the 48.

Radu Dragusin & Lucas Bergvall targeting World Cup qualification

There were 14 international call-ups in March, although Mathys Tel has since dropped out of the France U21s squad. So, 13 will be in action over the next week, and it's a particularly decisive period for Romania's Radu Drăgușin and Sweden's Lucas Bergvall.

These two nations are involved in the UEFA playoffs, which comprise four pathways: two semi-finals and a final. The four winners will qualify for the World Cup.

Romania and Sweden, particularly the latter, endured disappointing qualifying campaigns, and were handed a spot in the playoffs as a result of their performance in the most recent UEFA Nations League.

Drăgușin’s Romania are in Pathway C, facing off against a stronger Türkiye side on Thursday. Should they overcome the odds and triumph, Romania will then meet either Slovakia or Kosovo in the final.

Bergvall's Sweden, meanwhile, take on Ukraine on Thursday with Poland or Albania awaiting in the final. The Scandis, led by Graham Potter, will, of course, be without Dejan Kulusevski, who would surely be fit for the summer if they make it through the playoffs unscathed. Bergvall has only just recovered from a fitness setback himself.

Wales are also in the playoffs, but veteran Ben Davies is also out injured and won't play a part for the Dragons this month. They'll have to bypass Italy, who have failed to qualify for the previous two tournaments, to make it to back-to-back World Cups.