UEFA Nations League: Scotland, Poland Aim to Break Poor Form

Scotland vs Poland

Glasgow will host the opening UEFA Nations League match between Scotland and Poland, happening on Friday at Hampden Park.

Both sides have struggled immensely during their Euro 2024 campaign, finishing at the bottom of their groups, respectively.

The Tartan Army left Germany after seeing their squad go winless, extending their record—which no one wants to have—of never reaching the knockout stages of a major competition.

Meanwhile, Poland were unlucky after being grouped with France, Austria and the Netherlands in the ‘Group of Death.’

They, too, went home without a single win.

It now begs the question of which squad will end their slump, as both would look to start the international break on the right foot.

 

Talking Points

The Scots are hoping for a better run

Recent results do not bode well for Scotland.

Out of their past 10 matches, Steve Clarke’s squad have only won once—that was back in September of last year against a lowly Gibraltar side.

Before that, they registered a win against Spain after Scott McTominay’s (Napoli) brace in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, and for a short time, the Tartan Army felt like the kings of the footballing world.

Until this day, that was the last time someone had beaten Spain in a competitive setting.

Since then, it’s been a rough ride for the team, which culminated in their humiliating Euros exit.

They’ll always have a minuscule chance against Germany in their opener, but surrendering five goals in the curtain raiser of one of the most prestigious international competitions in the world is unacceptable—especially for a proud nation like Scotland.

A draw against Switzerland—thanks to McTominay’s goal—gave them a glimmer of hope that their knockout dreams could still be realised.

That dream was buried six feet under when they conceded against Hungary in the 10^th minute of added time.

Still, they had a proper send-off from the fans, who were graceful enough despite the pain of being let down yet again.

 

Can Lewandowski’s strong start inspire Poland to a win?

Robert Lewandowski couldn’t dream of a better start to his season. FC Barcelona are unbeaten, and are currently on top of La Liga, netting 13 goals in 4 matches.

Lewandowski is responsible for four of those and is also the league’s leading scorer.

That is why it is in Michael Probierz’s best interest that Lewy’s scoring touch will rub off on everyone in the Polish national football team, seeing as the squad is in desperate need of a good result.

But even Lewandowski himself would hope to carry his Barca form to his international stint, as he only managed a single goal in the recent Euros—something unbecoming from one of the best strikers of his generation.

Probierz will not have long-time keeper Wojciech Szczesny in the squad due to retirement, whilst striker Arkadiusz Milik is still injured.

Poland will need the likes of Piotr Zielinski (Inter) and Krzysztof Piatek (Basaksehir) to aid Lewandowski if the Poles want any chance of having a decent Nations League campaign.

 

History

Both countries have met each other 11 times. It’s been a tight affair for the most part, with six of their contested matches ending up in a draw—this includes five out of their last six meetings.

Scotland have a slight advantage in the match-up with three wins to Poland’s two. The former last won in 2014, the latter back in 1980.

Neither of their last three matches featured a clean sheet as well, and both haven’t done themselves proud in the recent past (as evident from their Euro campaigns); Scotland are winless in their last four fixtures, whilst Poland are also winless in their last three.

 

Betting Tip

There’s really nothing that separates these two sides, and I do not think Lewandowski will be enough to give Poland the victory. But if you’re backing a winner, the SBOTOP Nations League 2024 odds have Scotland priced at 2.42, whilst Poland are at 2.76.

In other Nations League 2024 news, Steve Clarke will also be missing one of his forwards, Che Adams, as the Torino man has withdrawn from the squad. Celtic’s James Forrest and Greg Taylor will be missing from the team as well.

For Poland, Szczesny’s absence means that Lukasz Skorupski (Bologna) might take over as the number one keeper for the squad.

   

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