The Eagles and the Dragons will face off in the opening round of the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League campaign, with Bale and Co. having one eye on this weekend World Cup Playoffs final.

Preview

The 2022/23 UEFA Nations League campaign gets underway, with Poland kicking off their season with an interesting showdown with Wales. These two European outfits will lock horns on Wednesday at the Tarczyński Arena as both sides aim to steal an early march on their Group 4 rivals.

This will be the first time Poland take to the field since their FIFA World Cup Playoffs final back in March. The Eagles, who failed to secure automatic qualification through the qualifying round, dropped into the Playoffs Paths where they were initially scheduled to take on Russia and then another team.

However, Russia were kicked out of the tournament, thus handing Lewandowski and Co. a bye to the final where they faced Sweden. Their Bayern Munich superstar once again came to their rescue, scoring the opening goal, while Piotr Zielinski also got his name on the scoresheet en route to a 2-0 victory.

This triumph secured their ticket to Qatar 2022; where they were grouped with Argentina, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia; which is a huge improvement after their group stage exit at Euro 2020. Despite all of this, the Central European nation must focus on the UEFA Nations League, with Czesław Michniewicz's side also set to battle it out with Belgium and Netherlands for a spot in the finals.

In the recent edition of the UEFA Nations League, Poland finished third in their group in League A. They racked up seven points out of a possible 18, finishing behind second-placed Netherlands and group winners Italy. Victory on Matchday 1 of the 2022/23 tournament will be imperative if the Eagles wish to enjoy this campaign and avoid the risk of relegation.

Wales, however, are not a team to be underestimated. Led by Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, the Dragons are a capable side that could hurt even the best in Europe.

Unfortunately, Rob Page's team cannot solely focus on the UEFA Nations League like Poland. This is simple: due to the conflict in Ukraine, their FIFA World Cup Playoffs final, initially scheduled to take place in March, will now take place this weekend.

Bale and Co. took on Austria back in March, with the former Tottenham attacker netting a brilliant brace and leading his team to a 2-1 triumph. However, Scotland and Ukraine, who are in the same Path, were unable to play that month and will face off on Wednesday ahead of Sunday's final.

Should Page name a strong starting eleven or should he rest his key men in order to better his odds of securing a Qatar 2022 ticket this weekend? This is the dilemma facing Wales.

In the recent edition of the UEFA Nations League, the Welsh topped Group 4 in League B, racking up 16 points and grabbing promotion to League A ahead of Finland, Republic of Ireland, and Bulgaria.

Unfortunately, with Belgium and Netherlands being in their group this time around, the Dragons will have to bring their A-game if they wish to remain in the top tier, let alone make the finals.

Team news

Poland: Robert Lewandowski has joined up with the side and is expected to lead his team despite all the uncertainty regarding his Bayern Munich future. Aston Villa's Matty Cash, who nearly handed Manchester City Premier League heartbreak in the final game of the season, will be hopeful of another cap. Additionally, the experienced Kamil Glik, Grzegorz Krychowiak and Zielinski are all on hand.

Wales: Page all but confirmed that neither Bale nor Ramsey will feature in this game as he intends to protect both players for Sunday's World Cup Playoffs final. Leeds United's Daniel James, however, will be hopeful for some playing time while Ben Davies, Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu could all feature for the Dragons at the back.

Key stats

  • Wales are unbeaten in their last nine outings.

  • However, the Dragons won less than half of those games, triumphing four times out of those nine matches (D5).

  • While Poland have lost once in their last nine outings, going 2-1 down to Hungary in a World Cup qualifier, the Eagles have triumphed six times in those nine games (D2).

  • However, Lewandowski and Co. went on a six-game winless run from March 2021 to June of that same year, losing three and drawing three.

Broadcast listings

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Poland 2 - 1 Wales

June 1, 2022 12:00pmTarczyński Arena (Wrocław)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

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