Portugal vs Poland 21/11/18

21 November 2018

In the final fixture of the UEFA Nations League A, Group 3, Portugal will host Poland at the Estadio D. Afonso Henriques in Guimaraes, looking to complete the first stage of the competition without a loss.

A Selecao das Quinas have started their Nations League journey with a narrow 1-0 triumph over Italy at home, after which they’ve wrapped up a tight 3-2 win over Poland on the road. A few days ago, Fernando Santo’s team managed to endure for the whole 90 minutes against Gli Azzurri, thus securing the top spot in their respective group. In the post-World Cup period, Euro 2016 champions have also featured in two international friendlies, having outscored Scotland 3-1 on the road, while being held to a 1-1 draw to Croatia in front of the home crowd. Moreover, Portugal are undefeated in six successive home games, having clinched three wins while playing out three draws in the process.

On the other hand, with a record of one draw and two defeats, the White and Reds have already headed towards League B, as they have no chances of closing the gap on Italy regardless of the outcome of this encounter. Although the Eagles avoided failure against Roberto Mancini’s side on the opening matchday, they’ve struggled to get a single point in the following two competitive matches. Jerzy Brzeczek’s players have suffered a defeat to Portugal before being outplayed by Italy on home soil, where they’ve got beaten a narrow 1-goal margin. Additionally, ever since Brzeczek took charge of the national team in favor of Adam Nawalka, Poland failed to achieve a triumph. In two post-World Cup friendlies, the Eagles have lost 1-0 to the Czech Republic after being held to a 1-1 draw to the Republic of Ireland.

Provisional line-up – Portugal:

Gk: Rui Patricio Defense: Ruben Dias – Fonte – Mario Rui – Joao Cancelo Midfield: William Carvalho – Ruben Neves – Renato Sanchez Attack: Guedes – Bernardo Silva – Andre Silva

Provisional line-up – Poland:

Gk: Sczcesny Defense: Cionek – Bednarek – Bereszynski – Kedziora Midfield: Krychowiak – Zielinski – Klich – Grosicki Attack: Milik – Lewandowski