Prediction: Poland win
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We re down to the nitty-gritty of World Cup qualification as a parade of nations attempt to force their way through to Qatar later this year. The European qualifiers, in particular, have already thrown up a handful of surprises, with more expected to come in the months ahead. Today, we re going to preview one of the many play-off finals as Poland go head to head with Sweden.
Poland
Poland have supposedly been through a golden generation, of sorts, in the last little while and yet they don t have a whole lot to show for it. They have some glittering stars that want so desperately to live up to what has been forecast for them and in this one game, they have the chance to set up a World Cup experience that could inspire generations to come.
Team News
Milik and Salamon are both injured, Klich is suspended and the great Lewandowski will lead from the front.
Sweden
The Swedes thrive off of being known as the underdogs on the world stage and that s the role they ll likely be playing again in the next couple of days. They ve showcased that they have the spirit necessary to go as far as they desire, as they did back in 2018 when reaching the quarter-finals in Russia. Now, with nothing to lose, they ll have a similar level of bravado in the final test.
Team News
Olsson is injured, Kulusevski is a fitness doubt and Ibrahimovic is expected to return for this mammoth clash.
Factors to Consider
Sweden beat Poland 3-2 at Euro 2020 last summer.
Poland have won three, drawn two and lost one of their last six games.
Sweden have won three and lost three of their last six games.
Poland have scored 13 goals and conceded five in their last six games.
Sweden have scored seven goals and conceded five in their last six games.
Conclusion
The home crowd is going to play a significant role here and while we do think Sweden are the more technically sound of the two sides, the passion of the Polish support is what will guide the hosts through to the World Cup later this year. We expect a game of many chances but few goals, with the entertaining encounter ending in a narrow 1-0 Poland win and a famous face likely to be the one who scores the winner.
Prediction: Poland win
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