Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the World Cup qualifying match.
Poland begin their training camp for the World Cup qualifiers with Robert Lewandowski in the squad. The 37-year-old striker returns to the squad as captain. Will he help them defeat the Netherlands?
Poland
Poland confront a difficult away test against a fiercely supportive home crowd. That is demanding psychologically, and they have not been in a good place of late. It is not only about Poland’s 1:2 defeat to Finland. The issue is Robert Lewandowski’s return, which came only after Michał Probierz was dismissed. Everyone is smiling and dishing out compliments now, but can Jan Urban truly build the right atmosphere in the dressing room? We still have doubts.
Netherlands
The Netherlands sit second after four rounds despite having played only two matches. They thrashed Malta (8:0) and also showed how to deal with Finland. They won 2:0 away from home in the same circumstances. The Netherlands are the favourites in the group for a direct berth in the United States.
Netherlands vs Poland Prediction
The last meeting between the sides came in the group stage of UEFA Euro 2024. The Netherlands edged it by a single goal (2:1). Poland opened the scoring, yet that did not change the outcome. With Robert Lewandowski in the line-up, the visitors have a greater chance to score, which also increases the likelihood of over 2.5 goals.
