International football takes centre stage again next week as our domestic leagues take a week off; but not so the biggest stars who will be on show in their national colours with plenty of action for us to get stuck in to.
The World Cup play-offs are about to kick off and some of Europe’s iconic football nations are in action, with Italy desperately hoping they don’t miss out again and the likes of Poland and Denmark also in the play-off pressure pot. And elsewhere there are some mouth-watering international friendlies, as the 2026 tournament favourites begin their final preparations.
Plenty of La Liga stars will be on show and some of the best strikers on the planet will be in action. So I have picked out five Primera Liga stars to watch and I reckon we have a good chance of this group banging in five goals between them; and the pick of the games this week has to be when Brazil meets France on Thursday at the Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.
Kylian Mbappe: France
Two stars likely to hit the La Liga 2026 news in the Madrid Derby this weekend, Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior will come face to face when Brazil meet France. And Les Bleus skipper Mbappe will be welcomed back by manager Didier Deschamps at a great time with the World Cup finals less than three months away. The Los Blancos star has just returned from a five match absence with a niggling knee injury and he came off the bench during Real Madrid’s historic win over Manchester City in midweek.
Mbappe is pure box office; leading the race for the La Liga Golden Boot with 23 goals, five ahead of the chasing pack and he has 55 goals in 94 games for France, a tally which means he is now just two behind his country’s all time top scorer, Olivier Giroud.
Let’s take another look at that list in two weeks time!
Vinicius Junior: Brazil
In my SBOTOP preview of the Madrid Derby I picked out Vinicius as a crucial player in Los Blancos’ European and La Liga run in. Like Mbappe, he can win any game with a turn of genius, and he was man-of-the-match in the second leg Champions League tie against the Sky Blues, scoring both of Real Madrid’s goals. Vinicius managed to annoy the home fans with his elaborate goal celebration and he makes a habit of falling out with opponents, involved in an unseemly spat with Benfica in the earlier play-offs. But while he manages to get under the skin of his opponents, Vinicius remains a special player as a wing wizard or a second striker often alongside Mbappe. The 25 year old has scored 70 goals in 233 appearances for Los Blancos but only eight in 45 games for the Selecao and that is a ratio he will be keen to improve.
Raphinha: Brazil
Barcelona winger Raphinha has 11 goals from his 36 internationals and he has become as big a name in El Clasico circles as either Mbappe or Vinicius after a stellar season in 2024/25 when he scored 34 goals and made 26 assists, and he was unlucky not to finish higher than fifth in the 2025 Ballon d’Or. The former Leeds United man has electric pace and mesmeric ball skills, with superb delivery and a lethal shot. He has it all and Barcelona certainly missed Raphinha when he was injured earlier in the campaign.
But now that he is back the latest La Liga 2026 betting odds are squarely behind the Blaugrana, and Raphinha will certainly be a man to watch in Canada, Mexico and the USA this summer.
Marcus Rashford: England
Another Barcelona star set to be on show this week is their summer loan signing Marcus Rashford, who has been recalled by Thomas Tuchel to the England squad to face Uruguay and Japan. After an alarming drop in form at Manchester United under former manager Ruben Amorin he had a relatively successful loan spell at Aston Villa; but in Catalonia Rashford has returned to his best form, and has made 23 appearances for the Blaugrana in a star-studded attacking unit. A one in four scorer for the Three Lions, still only 28 years of age, this is a big year for Rashford who is aiming to emerge from the shadows again.
Mikel Oyarzabal: Spain
One player never afraid of the limelight is Real Sociedad legend Oyarzabal who is in the Spain squad to face Serbia. The 28 year old has 22 goals in 51 games for La Roja, including the match-winner in the 2024 European Championships and he has also scored for his country in two UEFA Nations League finals. With 12 league goals this season Oyarzabal is La Liga’s fifth top scorer and he has fired Sociedad up to the fringe of the European places after a slow start to the 2025/26 campaign.
He is a man for the big occasion and Oyarzabal is always happy to fly the Basque flag on the world stage.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
