Max Rushden and his merry men assess those nations left in the race for Russia 2018, what happens next at Everton and plenty more besides

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It’s a bumper international break special as Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, Philippe Auclair and a debuting Elis James convene for an all-encompassing Football Weekly Extra. The panel look ahead to all the excitement of the World Cup play-offs as Northern Ireland prepare for a huge tie against Switzerland at Windsor Park and the Republic of Ireland go to Denmark.

Could the 2018 World Cup be the first in 60 years to not feature Italy? The Guardian’s football editor Marcus Christenson gives us the lowdown on whether Sweden can upset the Azzurri and find out why Australia are causing a stir in Honduras. England’s depleted squad take on Germany in a friendly and, with VARs being used at Wembley, we round up how they’ve been going down on the continent.

There are club matters to discuss too. Will West Ham’s players be crying tears of despair or jubilation come the end of David Moyes’s six-month spell? Would Everton be better off hiring Big Sam or Simeone?

Back on Monday!



PS: the last few tickets are still available for our first Football Weekly Live show of the year. It takes place on Thursday 14 December at the Emmanuel Centre in London. Max will be joined by Barry, Barney Ronay and Jonathan Wilson, with other special guests to be confirmed. Find more information and buy tickets here.

PPS: The good people at the Football Supporters’ Federation have announced the shortlists for their annual awards beano in that there Big London and Football Weekly have been lucky enough to be nominated for Best Podcast once again. Competition is stiff, so we’d really appreciate your support. Voting takes less than a minute and while you’re there, you might also consider voting for The Guardian as Best Newspaper, Jonathan Wilson as Best Writer (he assures us that awards, unlike goals, are not over-rated) and David Squires in the Online Media category. Vote early by clicking on this link.