UEFA Nations League: Portugal Seek a Hat-Trick in Poland

Poland vs Portugal

UEFA Nations League action comes to the National Stadium in Warsaw on Saturday when Portugal aim to make it three wins from three at the start of the new campaign.   

Hosts Poland beat Scotland and then lost to Croatia—both away from home—whilst Portugal won both their home games against those two nations by a 2-1 scoreline, and so sit atop League A1.

For Selecao manager Roberto Martinez, the Nations League is an opportunity to win a trophy after the relative disappointment of exiting the Euros at the quarter final stage.

Portugal are a team blessed with attacking talent, but Martinez is yet to find the perfect blend and his team will be tested to the full by Michal Probierz’ Poland—another nation with something to prove after the Euros.

And then, of course, two of the greatest players the game has ever seen may well be on show too.

 

Talking Points

Lewy versus CR7

It seems amazing in 2024 that we are talking about Poland’s Robert Lewandowski and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo as the protagonists is such a high-profile game.

With a combined goal tally of over one and a half thousand, Lewy and CR7 are legends at club and country level, and both are the most capped and highest scoring players for their nations. 

With 84 goals in 154 matches for Poland, Lewandowski has carried the hopes of a nation for the last decade, and he has been a prolific marksman for Bayer Munich and now Barcelona.

The Polish goal machine scored a hat-trick as Barca moved three points clear at the top of La Liga with a 3-0 win away to Deportivo Alaves and that took him to ten goals for the campaign, four ahead of his nearest rival for the Golden Boot.

At the age of 36 he is still at the top of his game and Lewandowski will certainly be in the thick of the UEFA Nations League highlights on Saturday.     

Cristiano Ronaldo, with two goals in the campaign so far, is still strutting his stuff at the grand old age of 39 and he has scored a whopping 132 goals in 214 internationals.

Now plying his trade in the Saudi Pro League at Al Nassr, he was the first big name to go to Saudi; he is scoring a goal a game, with 54 strikes in 53 appearances.

But whilst Lewandowski is still playing at the very highest level, the standard of football in Saudi is nowhere near La Liga, and Ronaldo’s influence at international level has come into question.

His status as a football icon will never be in doubt but some commentators and fans have questioned whether now is the time for Ronaldo to take a step back.

There is a growing feeling that his presence may be hindering the development of the team and some younger players, and fans, who love Ronaldo dearly, want to see the Selecao’s glittering array of stars deliver a trophy.         

My SBOTOP colleague James said that ‘CR7 is an easy target’ after the Euros and he’s right. Ronaldo has stood on the highest pedestal for two decades and he is there to be shot down.

But I agree with James, an avid Manchester United fan, when he says that Ronaldo can always hold his head up high as one of the greatest footballers of all time.   

 

Team news

Long term Poland keeper Wojciech Szczesny has retired from international football so that means Bologna’s Lukasz Skorupski will continue in goal.

With Southampton’s Jan Bednarek in defence alongside Arsenal Jakub Kiwior, the rearguard has Premier experience.

Piotr Zielinski, now at Inter Milan, will lead the Poland midfield and there may be some game time for 19-year-old Maximillian Oyedele, a Manchester United academy player who is now at Legia Warsaw; he has been drafted in for the first time. And Krzysztof Piatek should get the nod up front alongside Lewandowski. 

Portugal have a full strength squad to choose from with some top Premier League players ready to line up alongside CR7. Manchester City’s defender Ruben Dias, and the Manchester United duo of Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot are sure to start, whilst 21-year-old Renato Veiga, who has impressed at Chelsea, could earn a debut.        

 

History

As champions of the inaugural Nations League, back in 2019, Portugal love this competition and the UEFA Nations League 2024 betting odds say the Selecao are one of the four tournament favourites, alongside Spain, France and Germany.   

With five wins to two Portugal have bossed the head to heads, though the two teams haven’t meet since 2018 when they played out a 1-1 draw.  

In terms of recent form Portugal have won four and lost two of the last six, whilst Poland have one two, drawn one and lost three; but Poland are very strong at home, winning the last four and they are unbeaten in ten.  

 

Betting Tip

Portugal are warm favourites at 1.62 to win this game, with the draw priced at 3.40 and Poland are at 4.39. The Selecao have the higher profile stars but, under Martinez they are yet to reach their potential and I think Poland’s home advantage will be hard to overcome.

   

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