Belgium-Poland in Nations League: odds and precedents

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

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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

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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.