In the UEFA Nations League match that will take place in Wales on Sunday evening. Wales will take on Poland knowing that anything less than a victory would not be enough if they want to remain in League A and avoid being relegated.
Poland, on the other hand, is aware that a draw is all that is required for them to save their spot in the top tier, whilst the Dragons need to win in Cardiff to keep theirs.
Match Preview: Wales vs Poland
As Robert Page’s team is at the bottom of League A Group 4 with only one point after five games, some may argue that they are better suited for a lesser tier of the UEFA Nations League. Despite Sunday’s result, Wales has reason to be happy with their performance in this group.
Each of their four losses to the Netherlands, Belgium, and Poland was decided by a single goal. After falling to Belgium 2-0 on Thursday night in Brussels, Wales still managed to earn some credit for their performance.
Keiffer Moore cut the lead in half just after halftime, and Wales came close to scoring an equalizer against one of the top teams in the world. The Welsh, though, will need to find a way to go over Poland for the third position on Sunday by converting another promising performance into three points.
Although Poland won the first meeting between these two sides 2-1, that result is essentially meaningless for the situation which faces both teams this weekend, since Wales has scored more goals in the group and has a stronger goal difference.
Because of Poland’s 6-1 loss to Belgium earlier in the season, the next Sunday matchup between Wales and Wales is all the more fascinating. Wales have only won twice in their past nine matches across all competitions.
Poland has won twice in their last eight matches, including a win over Wales and a victory over Sweden in a World Cup qualifying match. Poland’s previous four games, much like their hosts’, have been against the Netherlands and Belgium.
They’ve managed to pick just a single point out of a potential 12. On Thursday, Czeslaw Michniewicz’s squad lost 2-0 at home to the latter. Both goals were scored inside the first sixty minutes of the game.
Team News: Wales vs Poland
Gareth Bale might be moved back into the starting lineup on Saturday even though he was only used as a substitute on Thursday.
Moore got his name on the scoreboard, while players like Daniel James and Brennan Johnson brought their own unique threats to the game in Brussels. However, a lot might rely on whether or not Page is ready to remove any of the top three players for the game in Brussels.
Ben Cabango might replace Chris Mepham in the back three, while Joe Morrell could get the call-up to play in the central midfield position since both Chris Mepham and Ethan Ampadu are serving suspensions.
It seems doubtful that Michniewicz will make many changes to his Poland XI, and leaving the squad intact is an option that should not be discounted. After having served a suspension for one game, Szymon Zurkowski will rejoin the club and serve as an additional option in the middle of the field.
- Wales Possible Starting Lineup: Hennessey, Cabango, Rodon, Norrington-Davies, Roberts, Morrell, Smith, Williams, Johnson, James, Moore.
- Poland Possible Starting Lineup: Szczesny, Bednarek, Glik, Kiwior, Frankowski, Krychowiak, Linetty, Zalewski, Zielinski, Szymanski, Lewandowski.
Our Prediction: Wales 1-1 Poland
The fact that Wales has a history of doing well while playing on their own soil will help to enhance their confidence coming into this clash. Wales has a track record of doing well when competing within its own territory.
However, Robert Lewandowski does not usually play for the opposing team and the fact that he is having participated in this tournament.
It’s highly unlikely that the Barcelona player will go the entire match without scoring a particular objective. This indicates that it is quite unlikely that Robert Lewandowski will score for the opposing team during this match.