The Red Devils are heading into the tie on the back of a humiliating 4-1 loss to Netherlands, while Poland defeated Wales 2-1 in their previous match.
Follow Us
Belgium will play Poland in the UEFA Nations League match at the King Baudouin Stadium on Wednesday. The Red Devils are heading into the tie on the back of a humiliating 4-1 loss to Netherlands, while Poland defeated Wales 2-1 in their previous match. Both sides have been inconsistent this year, and would be hoping to stitch together a few positive results before the World Cup finals in Qatar later this year. Meanwhile Belgium have lost their place at the top of the FIFA World Rankings and to add to Roberto Martinez’s worries, striker Romelu Lukaku suffered an ankle injury in the loss to the Oranje.
Our Devils will play against Poland in the @BelRedFlames shirt. ? #DEVILTIME pic.twitter.com/tKaOCnAJUq
— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) June 7, 2022
The Red Devils started the year with a 2-2 draw against Ireland before thrashing a lowly ranked Burkina Faso 3-0 in an international friendly. And then, in their first competitive game of the season, Martinez’ side suffered a humiliating defeat against Netherlands. Memphis Depay scored a brace while Steven Bergwijn and Denzel Dumfries netted one goal each to humble the Red Devils on their own turf. Michy Batshuayi scored a consolation goal for Belgium in the second-half injury-time. Martinez’ side would be eager to restore some pride and keep the fans on side when they host the Eagles. Meanwhile Belgium’s record of two wins from their last seven in all competitions is a cause of concern for the Spanish tactician and he would be desperate to get his star-studded-team back on track.
Poland on the other hand, have won two of their three games this year, and that includes a World Cup qualification final against Sweden and a Nations League match against Wales. The Eagles booked their place in the World Cup finals in Qatar courtesy of a 2-0 win against Sweden. Talismanic striker Robert Lewandowski broke the deadlock in the second half before Piotr Zielinski doubled the lead and sealed the win. And then, in the Nations League match against the Dragons, who had rested their big names because of their World Cup qualifier, Poland came from behind to secure three points. Jonathan Williams drew first blood for Wales before Karol Swiderski and Jakub Kaminski both struck as substitutes to turn the tie on its head in the later stages.
Read more:
Real Madrid, AC Milan & Paris Saint-Germain create an identically unique STAT; Find out what!
Belgium’s all-time top goal-scorer Lukaku won’t be available for the Poland match, joining Thibaut Coutois and Jason Denayer on the sidelines. Thorgan Hazard could return to the squad while Yannick Carrasco Youri Tielemans are also in reckoning for a place in the playing eleven.
As for Poland, Jakum Moder remains the only injury concern for Wednesday’s match. Czesław Michniewicz’s is unlikely to make any drastic changes to the team that got the job done against the Dragons. Forward Lewandowski will lead the line with and he will be supported by Adan Buksa up front. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is expected to return to the starting XI after being rested in the previous match.
Belgium probable starting lineup: Mignolet, Alderweiredld, Vertonghen, Boyata, Meunier, Tielemans, Dendoncker, De Bruyne, Carrasco, Mertens, Trossard.
Poland Probable starting Lineup: Szczesny, Bereszynski, Bednarek, Glik, Puchacz, Klich, Krychowiak, Zalewski, Zielinski, Lewandowski, Swiderski.
The UEFA Nations League match between Belgium and Poland will take place at the King Baudouin Stadium and it will kickoff at 12:15 am IST on June 9, Thursday.
Select UEFA Nations League 2022-23 matches will be telecast live on the Sony TEN network in India. Besides, live streaming of these matches will be available on SonyLIV and JioTV apps and OTT platforms in India.
