Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the UEFA Nations League match.
The upcoming Nations League results are crucial for both Scotland and Poland, as it’s prestigious for both teams to remain in the elite division. The outcome of their face-off in Glasgow will provide some security before challenging games against top competitors.
Scotland
Signs of a potential failure at Euro 2024 for Scotland were evident in their June friendlies against Gibraltar (2:0) and Finland (2:2). A trend of weak defence and poor finishing continued into the main tournament, where they conceded 7 goals over 270 minutes with 4.13 xGA, including a 1:5 thrashing by Germany, where they created no xG (0.00). On the other hand, their match against Hungary (0:1) showed that Scotland can defend well in a 5-4-1 formation against opponents of the same level.
Poland
At the recent Euro 2024, Poland also failed to progress past the group stage, and their final game against France (1:1) was inconsequential. Despite their poor results, their manager, Michał Probierz, retained his positions. The coaching staff have been unfortunate with a string of injuries to their forwards ahead of the tournament. Notably, team leader Robert Lewandowski has started the season strongly at Barcelona with four goals in four matches, but the 36-year-old striker has long struggled to replicate his club form for the national team.
Scotland - Poland Prediction
Not long ago, Poland’s primary goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny retired, necessitating more focus on defence with his replacements. Scotland will also sit deep—nobody wants to make significant errors at the start of the Nations League.
