Poland will be looking to end their qualifying campaign with a home win
The Polish national team has its sights clearly set on the 2022 World Cup. The starting position before the last game in the qualification phase is clear: everything points to the play-off games. Their opponents Hungary, on the other hand, have already been eliminated.
In the run-up to the match between Poland and Hungary, the betting odds indicate that the hosts are favourites. The Poles are better individually and played the better qualification, in addition, the home advantage is a point that must be taken into account.
Hungary, however, can at least be a very unpleasant opponent, as several teams experienced at the European Championship this summer. The match in Warsaw kicks off on Monday evening at 20:45.
Poland – Statistics & current form
On Friday, the Polish national team won 4-1 in Andorra to secure at least second place in their qualifying group. First place is still mathematically possible, but Poland are both three points and a few goals behind England and the Three Lions will be up against the glaring outsiders from San Marino.
This means that Poland’s goal against Hungary will be to build on the positive approaches of the last matches. Ahead of the Poland vs Hungary match, the odds from the best bookmakers indicate favouritism for the hosts. With 20 points from nine games, the team’s performance in the qualifying phase is very respectable. The focus against Hungary will once again be on Robert Lewandowski, who scored twice in the last match against Andorra.
The Poles can rely on their attack anyway. The team scored in all 14 international matches in the 2021 calendar year. In eight of these games, two or more goals were scored. That is an important basis for coach Paulo Sousa’s team, who favours a high-quality approach to football.
Poland want to stay in defeat
As already mentioned, Poland are on 20 points in World Cup qualifying, losing only one game – and that narrowly. With 1:2 the team lost in England, at home the last six games were played without defeat. Only against the Netherlands (November 2020) did Poland lose a game at home in the last two years.
The big goal for this team now is both to maintain their good home record and to end the current qualifying phase with only one defeat. The omens give the hosts hope, although coach Sousa could also give one or two players the opportunity to rest due to the already secure second place.
Nevertheless, the Poles also have a very decent line-up across the board. Their home strength will not suffer from three or four changes. Therefore, our prediction before the match between Poland and Hungary is that the hosts will be able to win this match. If that succeeds, the turn of the year can take place with a very positive feeling.
Predicted line-up of Poland:
Szczesny – Bereszynski, Dawidowicz, Bednarek – Kedziora, Linetty, Klich, Frankowski – Zieliński – Lewandowski, Piątek
Last matches played by Poland:
World Cup Qualification UEFA 1st Round Grp. I
11/12 2021 – Andorra 1 – 4 Poland
10/12 2021 – Albania 0 – 1 Poland
10/09 2021 – Poland 5 – 0 San Marino
09/08 2021 – Poland 1 – 1 England
09/05 2021 – San Marino 1 – 7 Poland
Hungary – Statistics & current form
Like Poland, Hungary won their last match in the World Cup qualifiers. The team beat the outsiders from San Marino 4:0, but should have hoped for a slip-up from the Poles. Hungary now have 15 points on their account and that is not enough for a play-off chance. Coach Marco Rossi’s team now has a test match to finish off the campaign, so to speak, and could spare the players who are under a lot of pressure.
To be eliminated in a group with Poland and England can happen. But the Hungarian team is still a little disappointed, because they qualified for the European Championship in the summer. There, Hungary played in the “group of death” with Portugal, Germany and France and lost only one of these three matches. So the Poles should be warned that Hungary is not to be underestimated.
Nevertheless, the odds before the game Poland vs. Hungary show that the guests are quite clearly the underdogs in this match.
Hungary want to give Poland a leg up
Of course the Hungarians want to trip up the favourites. Hungary can hold their own against individually strong teams. They drew against Germany and France at the European Championships, and managed a similar result in England in the qualifying phase. However, two defeats against Albania are also in the balance and underline the lack of consistency.
So there are no clear trends to be seen. Hungary have conceded four goals in the calendar year and have failed to score five times, but there have also been results like the 3:3 at home against Poland in the first leg. Especially because this match lacks any major significance, our value tip before the Poland vs. Hungary match is that, as in the first leg, more than 2.5 goals will be scored.
Predicted line-up of Hungary:
Dibusz – Szalai, Lang, Balogh – Nego, Schäfer, Nagy, Fiola – Szoboszlai, Varga – Hahn
Last matches of Hungary:
World Cup Qualification UEFA 1st Round Grp. I
11/12 2021 – Hungary 4 – 0 San Marino
10/12 2021 – England 1 – 1 Hungary
10/09 2021 – Hungary 0 – 1 Albania
09/08 2021 – Hungary 2 – 1 Andorra
09/05 2021 – Albania 1 – 0 Hungary
Poland – Hungary Direct comparison / H2H-balance
The first leg ended 3-3, as mentioned above, otherwise there have been no duels between these two nations in recent years. Poland have a total of eight victories on their own account, five duels ended in draws and the Hungarians have the nose in front in the direct comparison due to their great tradition and great times with 20 victories.
Poland – Hungary tip
The hosts from Poland played a good qualifying phase and are especially offensively very stable. Poland always score, often twice. So the quality is high and the hosts want to build on their positive home record and the good approaches. Hungary can be an unpleasant opponent, but they are struggling with some form fluctuations.
So there are some signs in favour of the home side. Poland will want to win the match and end the international year on a good note. Ahead of the game Poland vs. Hungary, our tip is that they will succeed and the hosts will take the three points with them.
