- Date: Thursday March 26 – 19:45 GMT
- Location: Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff
- Teams: Wales vs Poland
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Wales face Poland in Cardiff with a place at Euro 2024 at stake
The Play off Path A final sees Wales and Poland face-off in Cardiff after disposing of Finland and Estonia respectively. Both sides will be desperate to claim the win and progress to the finals of Euro 2024 this summer.
Wales
Wales continued their impressive form in the European Championships, securing a convincing victory against Finland in the semi-final match. David Brooks opened the scoring for Wales just three minutes into the game, followed by Neco Williams converting a free-kick to extend their lead. Despite a goal from Teemu Pukki for Finland just before halftime, Wales maintained control, with Brennan Johnson and Daniel James adding to their lead to secure a comfortable win.
This victory keeps Wales on track for their third successive appearance at the European Championships, following their previous success in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup through the playoffs. The upcoming final against an undetermined opponent presents a significant opportunity for Wales, especially with the advantage of playing at home in Cardiff.
Wales will enter the final with confidence, riding a seven-match unbeaten streak across all competitions. While their defence has been porous in recent games, conceding goals in their last four matches, their ability to score consistently has been a key strength. With their strong home record in Euros qualifying, having suffered only one defeat in their last 16 matches, Wales will be looking to capitalise on their home advantage and secure victory in front of their supporters.
Wales enjoyed a nearly flawless evening against Finland, with no players suffering injuries or receiving suspension-worthy cards. However, before the impressive four-goal victory, Joe Low, Ben Cabango, and Wes Burns were all compelled to withdraw from the squad.
Manager Page’s decision not to include Adam Davies, Dylan Levitt, and Rubin Colwill in the 23-man squad appeared to be tactical rather than due to injury concerns. Furthermore, Aaron Ramsey, plagued by persistent fitness issues, was wisely not risked in the match.
With such a commanding performance against Finland, it’s probable that Page will maintain faith in the same starting eleven for the upcoming fixture against Poland. However, he may contemplate including Daniel James if he deems the winger’s recent form worthy of consideration. This approach suggests that Ramsey will likely remain sidelined to prevent exacerbating his fitness problems.
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Poland
In what appeared to be a glaring mismatch between Poland and Estonia, Michal Probierz’s team initially struggled to assert dominance in the first half of the Path A playoff semi-final. The only goal, courtesy of Przemyslaw Frankowski, narrowly separated the sides at halftime.
However, the game’s dynamics shifted dramatically when Maksim Paskotsi, formerly of Tottenham Hotspur and now with Estonia, was shown a red card in the 27th minute. Seizing the advantage of an extra player, Poland capitalised in the second half. Piotr Zielinski, Jakub Piotrowski, and Sebastian Szymanski all found the net, along with an own goal from Karol Mets. Although Martin Vetkal managed to score a consolation goal for Estonia, it held little consequence as Poland powered into the final.
Facing Wales in Cardiff, Poland aimed to secure their fifth consecutive qualification for the European Championships. They have been a consistent presence at continental gatherings since 2008, albeit with only one progression beyond the group stage in four tournaments. Under Probierz’s guidance, Poland maintained an unbeaten record in their five games leading up to the final.
Of particular note is Poland’s impressive record against Wales. Since their inaugural clash in 1973, Poland has remained undefeated in their subsequent nine encounters across all tournaments. They have emerged victorious in each of their last six matches against Wales from 2001 to 2022, signalling a daunting challenge for the hosts on Tuesday.
Poland’s victory over Estonia was marred by injuries, notably to Frankowski and Cash. Frankowski was substituted at halftime, and Cash, who replaced him, succumbed to a suspected hamstring issue after just 10 minutes. Consequently, Cash will miss the playoff final on Tuesday, while Frankowski’s participation remains uncertain due to a bruise that kept him out of team training on Saturday.
In response to these setbacks, there’s a possibility of bringing back Bartosz Bereszynski, who was absent from the squad against Estonia, for cover. However, Probierz is likely to maintain the 3-5-2 formation without further changes.
Prediction
The bookies make Wales favourites. They were definitely impressive against Finland, the home crowd will make a massive difference and Poland’s right hand side has been considerably weakened with the injuries to Frankowski and Cash. However, the Poles are not a side to be written off. They have some quality players and Wales’ defensive shortcomings may well be exposed by the likes of Robert Lewandowski. We envisage a tight encounter, however, we are tipping Poland to upset the odds and secure a passage to Germany. Away win.
Cardiff CIty Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
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