After causing what definitely will be one of the top ten upsets of the FIFA World Cup 2022, Saudi Arabia will take on Poland in match day 2 of the competition running in Qatar. The game is impending at the Education City Stadium.
Against Poland, the Green Falcons will be eyeing to repeat their historic win against Argentina last Tuesday. Poland on the other hand came quite close to their first win of this world cup when they got the opportunity to convert from the penalty spot against Mexico later that same day.
The win however was denied when their star forward failed to net from the spot as Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa’s instinct and speed were too heavy for the penalty taker, Robert Lewandowski.
For Poland, this very well may be the endgame for them. The European sides failed to secure the three points from Mexico and now they have to do it against not just any team but the one who broke the majestic Argentinian’s 36 games unbeaten streak.
Poland Vs Saudi Arabia; The Stakes
Poland absolutely cannot let their guard down by a bit even in the event that they have taken a single-goal lead against the Saudis. And to know why they won’t have to do anything but watch the game of the Green Falcons vs Argentina.
After Saudi Arabia, their final game will be against the South Americans for whom a win is absolutely non-negotiable. So Saudi currently the lowest ranked in FIFA among the competition’s participants, is definitely the opponent where they have the maximum opportunity to strengthen their chance to advance to the last 16.
Saudi Arabia players celebrating their victory against Argentina in round one of the FIFA World Cup 2022Saudi, as for themselves, has been definitely wanting to best their 1994 record when they reached the competition’s last 16. And as things stand, they already have a very good advantage to repeat that or go even further.
Poland Vs Saudi Arabia: Recent Forms And Chances
Until a 1-0 defeat to Croatia just a couple of days before the world cup, Saudi Arabia hadn’t faced loss since June 2022; they were unbeaten in seven of their last eight matches across all competitions.
What many forgot about the Saudis ahead of their game against Argentina is that the Green Falcons were group toppers in the AFC qualifiers ahead of their big continental rivals, Japan and Australia. Poland by comparison has managed to win only three of their last seven matches.
On the other hand, some believe the Saudis rode their luck against Argentina the other day when the South Americans were denied three goals for being offside.
Keeping that in mind, Saudi Arabia is still considered a vulnerable team if they are against a squad with the ability to kick off a blazing counterattack. They also seem less creative and formidable against the team who like to sit deep and wait for their opportunities.
Poland striker and Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski, soon to face Poland at the FIFA World Cup round 2On paper Poland does have superior players than the Asian sides. And considering Lewandowski’s poaching ability, if Poland is efficient enough, the first goal for them should come in the first half itself. This season only, he has scored 18 times across 19 competitive appearances at the club level.
Also, the Red Whites were almost the same team against Mexico as the Saudis were against Argentina. So the upcoming clash is going to be somewhat of a battle between equal mindsets if not the same qualities. While they didn’t create any promising chances in the attack against Mexico, Poland sure is quite tight at the end. The bookmakers are certain that they may be the team to give Saudis the reality check.
Our Predictions
Included in Saudi’s recent form of course is their victory against the la Albiceleste and their confidence heading into the clash with Poland is clearly high. It’s almost certain the Asian sides will carry the very momentum against Lewandowski and co and will frustrate them in an eerily similar manner.
While Saudi didn’t create many chances against Argentina, they were clinical when they got one. So expect a similar scenario in the upcoming fixture as well. We are going with Saudi’s victory though it will be a narrow score of 1-0.
Poland Vs Saudi Arabia: Previous Meetings
Poland and Saudi’s match in this world cup will be their fifth meeting overall. In all of the previous four duels, the European sides have prevailed over the Green Falcons.
Poland Vs Saudi Arabia Predictions By Odds
4/1 (5.00) is the odds that bookmakers have designated Saudi Arabia to subdue the European sides.
In the meantime, Poland has been handed the odds of 7/10 (1.70) to win against the Saudis. The game also has 13/5 (3.60) odds of ending in a tie.
While Robert Lewandowski missed from the spot against Mexico, considering his European forms, the 35-year-old Barcelona striker is still the clear favorite to net the first goal of the game at 3/1 (4.00). Coming behind him is his teammate, Arkadiusz Milik at 11/2 (6.50).
As for Saudi, the two heroes of their match against Argentina, Salah Al-Shehri and Salem Al Dawsari are the projected players to be on the scoresheet with the odds of 10/11 (11.00) and 14/1 (15.00) respectively.
In terms of percentages, too, Saudis are the next favorites to win against Poland with just a 20% probability. On the other hand, Poland has the most bets at 55.5%. The draw in like manner is kept at 24.5%.
