What to watch for in international soccer this weekend

The world’s top leagues are all taking the week off, clearing the way for the 32 national teams that have qualified for the World Cup (sorry, U.S.) to prepare for this summer’s tournament in Russia. But while this weekend’s games will all be called friendlies, for those players trying to win a spot on a World Cup roster the exhibitions will be serious business. Here are three games worth watching Friday:

Mexico-Iceland: Iceland is preparing for its first World Cup; Mexico hasn’t missed the tournament since 1990. But both hope to get something accomplished in this game. Iceland, which meets Argentina in group play in Russia, will use Mexico to adapt a Latin American-style game, while Mexico, which faces Germany and Sweden in Russia, will test itself against a European opponent. (FS1, UDN, 7:30 p.m.)

Russia-Brazil: This could be a short World Cup for Russia, the host country that is ranked 63rd by FIFA. Brazil, meanwhile, is ranked second and will be going for its sixth title this summer. So for Russia, Friday’s game in Moscow (BeIN Sports, 9 a.m. PDT) presents a chance to take a big step up in class, while for Brazil the game will be a dress rehearsal for what to expect this summer.

Italy-Argentina: Italy had qualified for 14 consecutive World Cups before falling short in UEFA qualifying last fall. So the Azzurri will be out to prove a point when it meets Argentina in Manchester, England, in the national team’s first game since the qualifying disaster. Meanwhile Argentina, which lost to Germany in extra time in the last World Cup, heads back to the tournament as one of the favorites and probably will be focusing on avoiding injury against an experienced – and angry – Italy. (BeIN Sports, 12:30 p.m.).

kevin.baxter@latimes.com

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