Overview
The Polish team entered this match 3 points behind the Netherlands. They had just accepted a 1-1 draw with Ronald Koeman's team.
Jakub Kaminski broke the deadlock for Poland at a decisive moment, when Koln's winger scored the opening goal in the 43rd minute. However, the Netherlands immediately responded just 2 minutes after the second half started, thanks to a goal by Memphis Depay - the striker with the most goals in Oranje's history.
This draw almost only slows Poland's progress to the 2026 World Cup finals. Although only 3 points behind, Poland still lost to their opponent in terms of goal difference - +6 compared to +19 of the team leading the group.
That means Poland can only take the top spot if they beat Malta, while the Netherlands surprisingly lost to Lithuania at home. In addition, the difference in goal difference between the two teams also needs to be filled.
However, with Finland still 4 points ahead, Urban and his team are still sure to have a ticket to the play-off round. In addition, a 5-match unbeaten streak in all competitions at least gives Poland a positive psychological foundation towards 2026.
While Poland's journey will continue regardless of the result, Malta must accept the fact that they are still waiting for their first appearance in a major tournament.
In a group featuring the Netherlands, Poland, Finland and litva, Malta are expected to compete with Lithuania to avoid bottom-placed status. And that scenario went as expected as the final day of competition approached.
Emilio De Leo's team is currently 2 points ahead of Lithuania, thanks to their first win in the last 7 matches. In Helsinki, they beat Finland 1-0 with a decisive goal in Jake Grech's 82nd minute.
That surprise victory not only ended a four-year streak of not knowing the joy of the World Cup qualifiers - the last time Malta won the qualifiers was in September 2021 - but also helped them have their second win in their last four matches in all competitions. They beat San Marino in a friendly in September.
However, Malta were easily beaten 2-0 away by Poland in March. That means Malta have lost all their last five meetings with the "White Vultures", conceding 15 goals and failing to score a single goal in that run.
Personnel situation
Poland will receive a significant boost when Bartosz Slisz and Przemyslaw Wisniewski both return from suspension.
The return of midfielder Slisz ( Atlanticta United) is especially timely, because Poland has lost Sebastian Szymanski due to injury. Slisz is considered the perfect choice to fill the position that Szymanski left behind.
Up front, Robert Lewandowski will still wear the captain's armband in his 163rd appearance for the national team.
Similarly, Malta also welcomed two returns after suspension: defender Ryan Camenzuli and midfielder Teddy Teuma (Reims). Although Jake Grech scored the decisive goal when coming off the bench against Finland, Teuma was still in a better position to start as a number 10, supporting striker Irvin Cardona (Saint-Etienne).
In defense, Enrico Pepe was forced off in the 88th minute due to an injury in the most recent victory. James Carragher (Wigan Athletic) is an alternative, but Jean Borg will likely be given priority over the young English player.
Expected lineup:
Malta: Bonello, Muscat, Borg, Shaw, Corbalan, Satariano, Guillaumier, J. Mbong, Teuma, Chouaref, Cardona.
Poland: Grabara, Kedziora, Ziolkowski, Kiwior, Cash, Slisz, Zielinski, Skoras, Zalewski, Kaminski, Lewandowski.
The match between Malta and Poland takes place at 2:45 am on November 18 (Vietnam time).
