Poland vs Portugal 11.10.18

Portugal are the UEFA reigning champions in the Nations League and are facing off with Poland Thursday evening. Poland are the hosts at Silesian Stadium, and are aiming to get their first UEFA Nations League win.

Portugal clinched a 1-0 win against Italy last month without any assistance from their talisman Christiano Ronaldo. They are yet again without the reigning Ballon d’Or, and have something to prove: that the Selecção das Quinas are still a team to be reckoned with, in spite of their star player’s absence. At his request, the 33-year old has been left out of the Portugal squad. He focuses on settling in at his new Italian club Juventus.

This match is expected to be momentous for Poland striker Robert Lewandowski who is set for his 100th cap for the Poland national team. Ahead of the game, the Bayern frontman has expressed his pride in this 100th appearance: “I never dreamed of playing so many games for the team and becoming Poland’s all-time top goal scorer.” Lewandowski is Poland’s leading goal scorer, with 55 goals in 99 international appearances.

Poland vs Portugal tip 2 @ 2,70

What’s at stake is Portugal securing a place in the Euros 2020 as they fight to keep their UEFA crown. Their performance at the World Cup showed that they might have their work cut out for them. Particularly owing to their reliance on an ageing defence. In the absence of Ronaldo, the team needs to rejuvenate their attack, and André Silva has stepped up. Last month, in the game against Italy, Silva scored the only goal of the game in the 48th minute. André Silva has scored 7 goals in 8 league games since his loan move from AC Milan to Sevilla, the La Liga leaders, during the summer transfer window. Italy and Portugal will face off again on October 15th.

At Poland, the attacking talent is rich, with Robert Lewandowski being the man to watch. The Bayern Munich player has support from Napoli’s Piotr Zieliński and Genoa’s Krzysztof Piątek.

Clearly both teams are bringing a skilled side to the game and they are both hungry for a win. It is a tussle between André Silva with his determination to fill the big shoes of Ronaldo and Roberto Lewandowski with his determination to make his centenary appearance for his country memorable.
We are backing goals in this game. During three of the two team’s last four meetings, both teams scored. Both sides lack a properly strong defence. Both have strong attacking talent.