Lincoln City International Guide: Where And When Our Six Imps Are Playing

Lincoln City have no game this weekend, but six of our players could be in international action during the November break.

There are Nations League points, places at next summer’s Under-21 Euros and opportunities to impress before the Asian Cup on offer.

Here is when our international Imps play, where they are heading and what is at stake, with all kick-off times given in UK time.

Ivan Varfolomeev

When we looked at Ivan’s international fixtures back in March, he was trying to help Ukraine’s under-21s reach the European Championship. Now he is back with the senior squad, looking to build on the debut he made against Hungary in October.

It has been quite a year for our midfielder. A League One title, our Young Player of the Season award and a new contract until 2030 have been followed by that first senior cap, with this selection giving him another opportunity to establish himself.

Ukraine have work to do, though. They are four points behind Northern Ireland and three behind Hungary, meaning a win in Belfast is needed to keep their hopes of topping the group alive. Northern Ireland won the reverse fixture 3-0 and have yet to concede in the competition, so that is a considerable challenge.

Georgia then visit Ukraine’s adopted home in Slovakia. Two wins would take Ukraine to ten points and put them in contention at the top, but they need other results to help them.

Chiedozie Ogbene

Ogbene heads away with 38 senior caps and five goals, making him the most experienced senior international among our six representatives. The Ipswich Town loanee started at Watford last week and will now hope to get more minutes for his country.

There is still plenty to play for in Ireland’s group. They drew 2-2 with Austria in Dublin during the previous window, and victory in Linz would take them level with the leaders on eight points.

The Kosovo game could then be crucial, with the two sides currently level on points. Kosovo hold the head-to-head advantage after winning their first meeting 1-0, so Ireland have an opportunity to address that in front of their own supporters.

For Ogbene, it is another chance to bring his Premier League and international experience into a competitive pair of fixtures. For us, the hope will be that he returns with confidence, minutes in his legs and plenty left to offer before his loan is due to end in January.

Joe Gauci

Gauci is heading to the Middle East, where Australia are preparing for January’s Asian Cup. These are their final scheduled internationals before that tournament, giving the camp significance beyond the results of two friendlies.

Our Aston Villa loanee has eight senior caps but has not appeared for Australia since September 2025. He is one of eight changes to their latest squad, having missed the September friendlies against Brazil.

George Wickens has kept him out of our Championship side, so the prospect of international minutes is particularly welcome. Gauci has previously gained experience with Barnsley and Port Vale since moving to England from Adelaide United, and will hope this recall brings an opportunity to play.

Football Australia is continuing to assess the security situation surrounding the trip. The fixtures above are the current published schedule.

Yunus Konak

There is a place at next summer’s European Championship on the line for Konak. Türkiye finished second behind Croatia in their qualifying group, just one point ahead of Ivan’s Ukraine, and must now get past Czechia over two legs.

Our Brentford loanee goes into the tie having started our last five league games. His performance against Burnley, when he completed 47 of 54 passes and won 11 of 14 duels, offered a strong example of the contribution he can make in the middle of the park.

The 20-year-old already had Championship experience from his loan at Oxford United before joining us in August. Now he has the opportunity to add a major international tournament to his development, with the finals taking place in Albania and Serbia next summer.

Türkiye host the first leg before travelling to Czechia for the decider. It is a considerable test against a side that reached both the 2023 and 2025 finals through the play-offs.

Oisin Gallagher

Gallagher has the same prize in his sights, with Ireland trying to reach the Under-21 European Championship finals for the first time. They finished second in their group after winning their final three qualifiers, including a victory against England.

Our midfielder is currently gaining regular Football League experience with Barnet, having signed a new three-year City contract with a further year’s option in the summer. He has played more than 1,000 minutes for the Bees this season, helping them challenge towards the top of League Two.

That follows earlier spells with the likes of Peterborough Sports, Drogheda United and Boston United. Internationally, he made his under-21 debut in March and scored the winner against Kazakhstan on his first start, with five caps and one goal to his name.

Ireland have the advantage of playing the return leg at home, but Finland reached the 2025 finals and won seven of their ten qualifiers this time around. Gallagher and his teammates will have to earn their place.

Andrei Coubiș

Romania’s campaign has been a difficult one, with four defeats leaving them bottom of the group. They cannot catch either of the top two, so the focus is on trying to overhaul Poland and escape automatic relegation.

That makes Saturday’s game particularly important, although the reverse fixture ended in a 6-0 defeat. Romania then finish away against Bosnia and Herzegovina, who still have a chance of winning the group.

Coubiș joined us from Universitatea Cluj in the summer, having previously developed in AC Milan’s system and spent time with Sampdoria. The 23-year-old has already shown what he can offer here, most memorably with his goal inside the opening minute at Millwall.

He also took our readers’ man of the match award that afternoon, giving City supporters a much happier memory than Romania have managed in this competition. With seven senior caps already, he will hope to help his country find a better finish to their campaign.