Three people in the spotlight this weekend

With the domestic season now at an end, attention is firmly focused on a huge weekend of international action across the globe.

Whether it be European Championship qualifiers, key Copa America fixtures or even low-key end-of-campaign friendlies, there is plenty to look forward to over the next couple of days.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at three figures under the spotlight.

1. Theo Walcott

Qualification for Euro 2016 effectively secured, it is now all about experimentation for Roy Hodgson ahead of next year's finals. Six points clear of third place at the halfway stage, with their most difficult assignment away at Switzerland successfully ticked off, England are making light work of reaching the expanded Euros in France.

Tougher tests lie in wait if the Three Lions are to make major waves in 12 months' time, of course, but for now Hodgson can focus on alternating his side in an attempt to avoid a repeat of last summer's Brazil misery. One of the biggest selection decisions he will have to make is out wide, with a number of players vying for a spot on the wing.

© Getty Images

Raheem Sterling looked a shoo-in for that position on the back of the World Cup, but a stagnation in performances and a drawn-out transfer saga have contributed to the want-away Liverpool wideman being overlooked of late. Left out by his club side for their final game of the Premier League campaign, Sterling's woes were added to when booed by a large section of Ireland's support in a goalless draw last weekend.

It would be harsh to pick out the 20-year-old for criticism on the back of that abject team display, but the game was crying out for someone to take the contest by the scruff of the neck. That task was left to Jack Wilshere in the middle of the field for large parts, with his bursting runs from deep offering some inspiration. It could potentially be his Arsenal teammate, Theo Walcott, who benefits most from Hodgson's rotation.

Widespread reports suggest that Walcott, along with Fabian Delph and Nathaniel Clyne, will each be given the nod for Sunday evening's clash with Slovenia. Having hit form at just the right time at the end of the domestic season, scoring a treble on the final day of the Premier League campaign and a key goal in the FA Cup final, now could be the moment for the former Southampton product to show his worth once more.

2. Dunga

We may be approaching the one-year anniversary of arguably the darkest day in Brazil's football history, but things are beginning to look bright for the Selecao all of a sudden. Since their 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Germany - a defeat ranking alongside the 1950 World Cup final reverse against Uruguay in terms of lasting pain - and the subsequent 3-0 third-place playoff loss to the Netherlands, Brazil appear to have turned a corner.

Sure, winning friendly matches is a mere consolation on the back of the most embarrassing World Cup exit imaginable, but under Dunga the world heavyweights have now won 10 games on the bounce. Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Japan, Turkey, Austria, France, Chile, Mexico and Honduras have all tried, and ultimately failed, to get the better of Brazil over the past nine months.

© Getty Images

Stage one of the recovery complete, then, yet anything other than victory in this summer's Copa America may open up the wounds once more. Dunga's men get their campaign underway on Sunday night when they take on Peru in Temuco, looking to keep the momentum going for as long as possible.

Pitted in a group alongside Colombia, Venezuela and weekend opponents Peru, the world's fifth-best team will have one eye firmly fixed on the knockout rounds. The tournament's strange format, which sees the top two from each of the three groups progress alongside the two best third-placed sides, means that finishing second could actually benefit the five-time world champions, who may avoid a meeting with Argentina or Uruguay.

It all adds to an intriguing competition, which will see some of the world's best players on show. Victory for Brazil in the July 4 final will help further heal some of the scars inflicted on home soil last year, but they have a long way to go before even thinking of lifting the famous trophy for a ninth time.

3. Martin O'Neill

Saturday evening's Euro 2016 qualification clash between the Republic of Ireland and Scotland has all the ingredients to provide a memorable fixture in Dublin. Group D is shaping up to be one of the standout tussles as we enter the second half of qualification, with one point separating the top three.

Ireland sit a little further back, two points adrift of an automatic qualification berth which will see them through to their second successive European Championship finals. Last week's stalemate against England will certainly not live long in the memory, but there is no doubt that the atmosphere in the Irish capital will increase a few more notches this weekend.

© Getty Images

Victory for Scotland will seriously dent Martin O'Neill's aim of progressing through, while Gordon Strachan will know that a point could be enough to keep his side well on track. Plenty will happen between now and the group's conclusion in October, although every last point will prove to be key.

It took a moment of magic from Shaun Maloney to separate the pair in the reverse fixture at Celtic Park, something which is likely to be required when they collide once more.

Green Army assistant boss Roy Keane himself acknowledged in the build-up to the game that the momentum currently lies with opponents Scotland, but there was no playing down the magnitude of the fixture. Nothing will be won and lost in terms of qualification to France 2016, although anything less than three points for the hosts could spell disaster for their long-term hopes.