Poland and Italy play in the Group 3 of the League A and both teams currently have only 1 point after two rounds. Both lost to Portugal, while playing draw when they met in Italy. This Sunday, they meet again. But, this time, Poland are the hosts. The game will take place at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzow, at the same place where Poland lost to Portugal 3:2 last Thursday. Maybe they’ll do better this time? Find out what to expect from this duel by reading this Poland vs Portugal match preview, at the end of which you can read a couple of betting tips.
Poland
Poland lost 3:2 to Portugal in the previous round of the UEFA Nations League, in a match they played at home. But, home ground didn’t help them much, as their players were defending for most of the game. In fact, Portugal had almost three times more attempts on Poland’s goal than what was the case the other way around.
But, they did manage to score twice, which is something that gives them confidence against the game with Italy. Furthermore, if they were able to get a draw in Italy, why wouldn’t they be able to beat them now that the match is played on their turf?
Poland do have a pretty decent squad and are particularly strong in the final third. In fact, their attackers look brilliant right now. Of course, the best player in this team is Robert Lewandowski, but there’s another striker who’s been getting into the headlines recently.
I’m talking about Krzystof Piatek, a Genoa striker, who’s currently the leading scorer of the Italian Serie A with nine goals after seven rounds. Piatek made his debut in the national shirt in September in a friendly, while his first competitive match ever for Poland was the one played last week against Portugal. And guess what? He scored on his debut!
Italy
Same as Poland, Italy have also lost to Portugal. But, they played an away match, in which the final result was 1:0 for the hosts. In that game, we saw a big battle on the center of the pitch, while neither team had too many serious goal chances. I guess Italy coach will probably have the same plan for the clash with Poland. After all, in Italy’s view, the most important thing is not to lose another game, while a draw is something they could work with.
But, Italy are just not as good at defending as they were in the past. That’s something what their duel with Poland in the first round of the Nations League showed. Even though everyone expected Italy to give their utmost in that game and sort of say sorry to the fans for the disappointments they made earlier this year, they were far from impressive.
The ball possession was on their side for the most of the match, but the reason for that is that Poland had a lead since the 40th minute, so they let Italy attack. Speaking of attacking, Italy didn’t do their job well. They had only two shots on goal, while the equalizer was scored from the penalty spot.
Possible Lineups
Poland
Fabianski – Glik, Bednarek, Bereszynski, Jedrejczyk – Krychowiak, Zielinski, Blaszczykowski, Kurzawa – Piatek, Lewandowski
Italy
Donnarumma – Romagnoli, Bonucci, D’Ambrosio, Emerson – Verratti, Jorginho, Bonaventura – Bernardeschi, Insigne, Immobile
Poland vs Italy Match Prediction
Poland seem to me like the better team, but you can never know what to expect from the Italians. They definitely have quality in the squad, plus Roberto Mancini is their manager, a man who knows how to get the most out of any team. So, maybe instead of betting on the outcome, it’s best to try with goals. I think we’ll see a few of them.
Poland vs Italy Betting Tips
- BTS @1.83 (bet365)
- Over 2.5 @2.38 (1XBet)