UEFA Nations League: Poland and Italy Slated Into a Shootout

Poland vs Italy

Poland and Italy are about to go head-to-head in what should be a mouthwatering clash as the UEFA Nations League action will be at the PGE Arena in Gdansk this Sunday.

As we are about to resume international play, let us first recap on how Group A1 is shaping out.

Poland began their tournament journey with a win over Bosnia and Herzegovina and a defeat to Netherlands last month, while Italy are unbeaten with a draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina and a victory over Netherlands.

Italy lead the group with four points while Poland and Netherlands are right behind them with three points, so this match will pose huge ramifications in terms of fighting for qualification spots.

Momentum is on the side for both of these teams as they are coming off of dominant victories in their exhibition games.

Italy thrashed Moldova with a 6-0 clean sheet while Poland notched a 5-1 win, so all signs point to a big-time shootout this weekend.

Who will emerge victorious for this Sunday’s contest? Allow SBOTOP to take a look on both of these teams with today’s match preview.

 

Talking Points

Robert Lewandowski expected to return for Poland

Following his involvement in helping Bayern Munich achieve a historic treble, Robert Lewandowski was given some time off to cope with his rigorous football schedule.

And now that there isn’t any club action for this weekend and he’s well-rested, he has been given the green light to add another cap to his resume to try and help Poland go far in this competition.

Joining Lewandowski up front will be Krzysztof Piatek and Arkadiusz Milik, both who are also capable in scoring goals, while leading at the back will be Southampton centre-back Jan Bednarek and Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

West Brom winger Kamil Grosicki is showing everyone that he’s still got it. The 32-year-old scored a hat-trick during their international friendly against Finland yesterday and he will be a handful to deal with for the Azzurri defenders.

Team manager Jerzy Brzeczek has some depth to their lineup, but how will they fare against a stronger Italian squad this weekend?

 

Italy looking to seize the lead in Group A1

The Azzurri are the heavy favourites to come out of Group A1, and they have an opportunity to break away from the pack with a win this Sunday.

Roberto Mancini’s side has been riding hot in form, and they have a lineup that can contend for this year’s championship.

Nicolo Barella, Marco Veratti, and Ciro Immobile form a tantalising trio on the attack, while Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, and Gianluigi Donnarumma will be a fortress on the defence.

Francesco Caputo, who is enjoying a strong start playing for Sassuolo in Serie A, has been called up once more to be in this match given his recent performance. The 33-year-old will be one of Italy’s x-factors.

 

 

History

It’s a good thing that we will have this upcoming fixture especially since Poland and Italy do not have much history facing against each other.

They have locked horns in 16 games prior to this match, whereby Italy won in six, Poland winning in three along with seven draws.

These two sides last met in the UEFA Nations League two years ago where the Azzurri eked out a 1-0 win over the Eagles.

The said match was as dramatic as it gets as it took a late goal from Cristiano Biraghi for Italy to bring home the three points in Group C.

This will be Poland’s first match in Gdansk since their Euro qualifying draw against Cyprus in 1987. They have yet to win in the said venue.

 

Betting Tip

	Poland vs Italy	Over 2.50 @ 2.14
	October 11, 02:45 (GMT+8)

In the latest UEFA Nations League 2020 odds, Italy are backed to win once more via a slim margin.

They are priced at 2.02, while Poland are not behind at 3.65 and a draw is also a possibility as it is priced at 3.20 in the Asian Handicap market.

While matches between them are low-scoring historically, I would beg to differ for this one. Hence, I would recommend placing your bets to Over 2.50 @ 1.86.

Both sides have proflic goal scorers that can light it up and produce a ton of UEFA Nations League 2020 highlights.

Heading to this fixture, Poland may be feeling confident about themselves right now with the impending return of Robert Lewandowski.

However, Italy have much more quality and depth that will prove to be the difference come Sunday night.

A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR () BETS ARE WORTH:
= €20 (Highly confident)	= €10 (CONFIDENT)	= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)

Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.

 

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The post UEFA Nations League: Poland and Italy Slated Into a Shootout appeared first on SBOTOP.