Belgium-Poland in Nations League: odds and precedents

Second day in group D: Roberto Martinez’s team lost against the Netherlands, good start for Lewandowski and his teammates

To call it an atypical match would be an exaggeration, but Belgium-Poland is anything but a classic of football: of the 19 previous matches between these two teams, most (12) have been friendly matches. Now the two nations are in the same Nations League group – group D – and will face each other on Wednesday night in Brussels for the second day: Belgium must try to make up for it after the heavy defeat at home to the Netherlands in the first round (4 -1 for Orange), while Poland got off to a good start with a 2-1 comeback win against Wales in Wroclaw.

The moment

Also considering the victory against Sweden in the final to qualify for the World Cup, Poland have won the last two games played, conceding a goal and scoring four with as many different scorers: Lewandowski, Zielinski, Kaminski and Swiderski. The defeat against the Netherlands instead interrupted a streak of five consecutive useful results for Belgium in official matches: four wins and a draw to close the World Cup qualifiers in Qatar, results arrived after the defeat against Italy in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 (2-1 in Munich). Before the defeat against Orange, Roberto Martinez’s national team had played two friendly matches: 2-2 with Ireland and a 3-0 victory with Burkina Faso.

Previous

Belgium and Poland meet again almost 15 years after the last time: on November 17, 2007, the Polish national team won 2-0 in the Euro 2008 qualifying round with a brace from Ebi Smolarek. Success that replicated that of the first leg 1-0 away with a goal from Radoslaw Matusiak. Belgium did not win from the previous match, 3-1 on 30 April 2003 in a friendly: in the seven official matches, Poland lost only once, on 1 May 1985 in the 1986 World Cup qualifiers. The balance is completed by five victories. (including 3-0 in the 82nd World Cup group stage) and a draw.

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