Prediction Euro Champ Qualifying - Wales vs Poland

Euro Champ Qualifying - Wales vs Poland
Match Time: 27-03-2024 03:45 Wednesday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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Wales

The dream of three successive appearances at the European Championships remains very much alive for Wales, who needed just three minutes to draw first blood in their semi-final showdown with Finland through David Brooks before Neco Williams converted a well-worked free-kick routine.

Even though Teemu Pukki beat the offside trap and managed to cut the deficit in half just before the break, the former Norwich City striker's effort was quickly rendered meaningless, as Brennan Johnson and Daniel James restored the Dragons' two-goal advantage to put the result beyond any doubt.

Of course, playoff glory is nothing new for Wales, who qualified for the 2022 World Cup via such a method, and a daunting summer schedule with France, the Netherlands and Austria will be their prize if they can repeat the trick in front of the Cardiff crowd on Tuesday.

As well as being blessed with home advantage, Wales enter Tuesday's tantalising final on a seven-match unbeaten run across all competitions and have scored in each of their last six contests, albeit while failing to keep a clean sheet in any of their last four either.

Page's men may have suffered an embarrassing 4-2 loss to Armenia just nine months ago, but that defeat represents their only beating from their last 16 home matches in Euros qualifying, and not since a goalless draw with Israel in September 2015 have the hosts failed to score in front of their own fans in preliminary continental competition.

Poland

In what was a total mismatch on paper between Poland and Estonia, Michal Probierz's side failed to truly assert their dominance in the first half of the other Path A playoff semi-final, where only a Przemyslaw Frankowski effort separated the two teams going into the break.

However, after ex-Tottenham Hotspur defender Maksim Paskotsi received his marching orders in the 27th minute, Poland made full use of their extra man in the second 45, as Piotr Zielinski, Jakub Piotrowski and Sebastian Szymanski all found the mark alongside a Karol Mets own goal.

Martin Vetkal at least managed to nab a consolation for Estonia, albeit a completely inconsequential one as the Eagles surged into the final, where they will qualify for their fifth successive European Championships by breaking Wales hearts in Cardiff.

Present at every continental gathering since 2008, albeit while progressing beyond the group stage in just one of those four tournaments, Poland also arrive in Wales with a respectable unbeaten run to protect, having avoided defeat in their five games under Probierz so far.

Furthermore, since falling short in their inaugural clash with Wales back in 1973, Poland have not lost to the Dragons in their subsequent nine clashes in all tournaments - winning each of their last six from 2001 to 2022 - suggesting that Tuesday's hosts have their work cut out for them.

Prediction: Wales 1-2 Poland