Overview
Poland currently has 13 points after 6 matches in Group G, with 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. They are in second place, 3 points behind the leader of the Netherlands ahead of the upcoming important match.
Poland started the qualifying round with 2 wins against Lithuania and Malta, but surprisingly lost 1-2 to Finland in June. They then added 4 points from the next 2 matches, drawing with the Netherlands before defeating Finland.
Under the leadership of coach Jan Urban, Poland entered this match after a 2-0 victory over Lithuania. Another victory will help them equal their points with the Netherlands before the final match against Malta on November 17.
However, Poland will still be sure to be in the top 2 if they avoid defeat or Finland cannot defeat Malta. And it would be a surprise if they lose the play-off chance at this time.
In the history of the confrontation, Poland has only won 3 out of 21 matches against the Netherlands, suffering 10 defeats. However, two of the last four meetings between the two sides have ended in a draw.
The Netherlands is showing impressive form in Group G with 16 points after 6 matches, including 5 wins and a draw. They lead the group and are the team with the most goals with 22 goals and conceded only three.
Under the leadership of coach Ronald Koeman, the team lost 2 points at home to Poland in September. However, they have won their last three games, including 4-0 wins over Malta and Finland in October.
The Netherlands is already in the top 2 and if they defeat Poland, they will officially qualify for the finals next summer.
In the past, the Netherlands could not qualify for the 2018 World Cup but reached the quarter-finals in 2022, and also reached the semi-finals of EURO last summer, where they lost to England.
Given the overwhelming strength of the Netherlands, it would be a shock if they lost the top spot.
Personnel situation
Poland will play with the scorer Robert Lewandowski in the spearhead attack position. The 37-year-old entered this match after scoring in Barcelona's jersey.
Sebastian Szymanski, who scored in the 2-0 win over Lithuania, will continue to play in attack with Jakub Kaminski on the opposite wing.
In defence, Lukasz Skorupski and Jan Bednarek are notable absences. And Bednarek's position could be replaced by Tomasz Kedziora.
For the Netherlands, Matthijs de Ligt returned to the national team thanks to his impressive form at Manchester United, but the 26-year-old centre-back will not start against Poland.
3 of the 4 expected Dutch defenders to play are from the Premier League, including Virgil van Dijk, Jurrien Timber and Micky van de Ven. The away team's midfield will have Frenkie de Jong and Ryan Gravenberch.
Up front, Memphis Depay, who has scored 54 goals for the Netherlands, will join Justin Kluivert, Cody Gakpo and Donyell Malen. However, Wout Weghorst will not participate due to fitness problems.
Expected lineup:
Poland: Dragowski, Wisniewski, Kedziora, Kiwior, Cash, Slisz, Zielinski, Skoras, Szymanski, Lewandowski, Kaminski.
Netherlands: Verbruggen, Dumfries, Timber, Van Dijk, Van de Ven, Gravenberch, De Jong, Malen, Kluivert, Gakpo, Memphis.
The match between Poland and the Netherlands takes place at 2:45 am on November 15 (Vietnam time).
