Two Man City stars are on collision course for epic November showdown

Manchester City players have been in action on international duty and for two of them a crucial fixture is just around the corner.

Gianluigi Donnarumma and Erling Haaland might be good friends off the pitch and increasingly vital teammates on it, but next month those relationships could be put aside for what might be one of the highlights of the international calendar.

There aren't too many stories in World Cup qualifying but Haaland's heroics have Norway firmly on course for a first appearance at the tournament since 1998, and it is Italy's Donnarumma who they are holding off in Group I.

The seeds for qualification were laid in June, when Norway beat Italy 3-0 in Oslo, a result that led to the departure of Azurri boss Luciano Spalletti.

Manchester City striker Haaland scored that night and now has a remarkable 12 goals in six games in the group stage, with Norway boasting a perfect record of six wins out of six.

They finally look like making good on the promise of a golden generation, having somehow failed to qualify for recent major tournaments. In Euro 2024 qualifying, they took one point from two games against Scotland and drew in Georgia.

This time around, there have been no stumbles, and not only have they collected results, but they have also done so in style. Their 5-0 win against Israel on Saturday, in which Haaland scored a hat-trick and missed two penalties, means they now have a goal difference of +26.

Italy kept up the pressure with a 3-1 win in Estonia, and if they beat Israel in Udine on Tuesday, they can close the gap at the top to three points. That would set up a big week in November when World Cup qualifying comes to a close.

On November 13, Italy travel to Moldova for what should be a routine victory, while Norway host Estonia for what should also be an easy three points, although there is no doubt they will be feeling the pressure by then.

The group then concludes on Sunday, November 16, when Italy meet Norway at the iconic San Siro. How much is riding on that game will be decided over these next few fixtures.

If both sides keep on winning, Norway's three-point buffer should be enough. Even if Italy beat them in Milan, it would come down to goal difference, and Norway's advantage in that department is currently 19, which should be unbridgeable even if Italy do have their game in hand this week.

So Norway will know that the Estonia fixture is probably the one that will secure qualification and a place in the World Cup for the first time in 28 years.

It will still be a defining fixture for Italy, who will be desperate for the Norwegians to drop points and give them a chance of making it. A play-off spot is available for the runners-up, but the pressure will also be on Italy at that stage.

The play-off format consists of a single-leg semi-final and a single-leg final, so there is no margin for error. Italy's failure to qualify for the previous two World Cups will make those March fixtures a nerve-shredding occasion for the country.

That is why they will be hoping to see a chink in Norway's armour, or to produce huge wins against Israel and Moldova to close that goal difference gap and give them a chance in Milan of wiping it out.

For while there is plenty at stake for Haaland here, and the chance to make his mark at a major tournament for the first time, the same is true of his friend Donnarumma. For all that the 26-year-old has achieved in the game, he has never played at a World Cup and he will be desperate to put that right.

The first chance to do so might mean he has to thwart his currently unstoppable City teammate in Milan next month. The pair were friends before they became teammates last month, and they have spent recent weeks talking each other up. They might just be the best goalkeeper and best striker in the world, which will make that San Siro showdown unmissable.