England vs Poland

PGE Narodowy is the venue as Poland and England go head-to-head in a top-of-the-table World Cup qualifying Group I fixture.

After a dreadful Euro 2020 campaign that saw them exit the tournament in the group stage with a single point from three matches, the Poles have got back on track. Sitting second in Group I, five points adrift of England, the ‘Eagles’ have won both World Cup qualifying fixtures in September by an aggregate scoreline of 11-2, scoring the opener within 12 minutes and netting 2+ first-half goals on each occasion. With third-place Albania trailing by a single point, Poland can ill-afford a slip here, even though they lament a disastrous overall H2H record against England (W1, D7, L12), going winless in their last 17 duels in a row! But Paulo Sousa’s side can draw confidence from a decent home form, as they’ve lost just one of their previous 14 internationals on home soil (W9, D4).

Meanwhile, the visitors have managed to put Euro 2020 grand final heartbreak behind, beating Hungary and minnows Andorra by an identical 4-0 scoreline during this international break. As a result, the ‘Three Lions’ boast a 100% record in the ongoing World Cup qualifying campaign (W5) and are one victory away from effectively claiming a spot in Qatar next year. With all but one of their five Group I triumphs coming by 2+ goals ‘to nil,’ it comes as no surprise that England head into proceedings as warm favorites to pick up all three points. Virtually impenetrable at the back, Gareth Southgate’s men have kept 12 clean sheets across their last 15 international fixtures (W12, D3), which has been the case in two of their previous four competitive trips to Poland. What’s more, they have conceded an average of just 0.33 goals per game across their last 12 away World Cup qualifiers.