Portugal vs Poland prediction: EUROPE: UEFA Nations League – League A betting tips on match 2024-11-14 19:45.
[p]Just under five weeks after a 3-1 victory in Warsaw, Portugal meet Poland in the return fixture at the Estádio do Dragão in the penultimate round of UEFA Nations League (UNL) Group A1 games. This will be the 15th H2H between the sides and the seventh from 2007 onwards, a period in which Portugal have not lost any of the contests (W3, D3).[/p]
[p]Looking to extend that sequence, as well as continue a very impressive home record since September 2021 (W19, L2), the hosts will still be able to put out a strong side in spite of being without Rúben Dias, Gonçalo Inácio, Rúben Neves and Diogo Jota through injury. Unbeaten (W3, D1) and top of the table ahead of this round, Portugal only need a point to secure a fourth successive UNL top-two finish and book their spot in the quarter finals.[/p]
[p]Tasked with spoiling the party, Poland travel to Porto without a win from their last three games (D1, L2) and with captain Robert Lewandowski out with a lower back injury. They come into Friday evening’s clash three points behind Croatia in second, and six behind Portugal, so a victory could be their only option if they want to still be in quarter-final contention come the end of the night.[/p]
[p]A solid defensive performance would help the Eagles’ chances but that seems unlikely as Michał Probierz has not seen his side keep a clean sheet across their last nine games whilst conceding five first half goals in their last two matches. They are the joint top scorers in the group though, and combined with an away record of only one defeat (W3, D1) over the last 13 months, Poland should arrive in Portugal with a glimmer of hope![/p]
[p]Players to watch: Although their last fixture finished 0-0, Cristiano Ronaldo got Portugal’s second goal of the game in their three previous matches. In total, it is almost 12 months since he opened the scoring for his country, something which Piotr Zieliński did twice for Poland in October.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Portugal have never conceded more than one goal across their ten UNL home games, excluding the Portugal-held 2019 finals (W7, D1, L2).[/p]
[p][i]Written by Tom Penn[/i][/p]