Belgium vs Poland

King Baudouin Stadium plays host to an exciting UEFA Nations League A showdown between Belgium and Poland.

Two months after surrendering FIFA’s #1 spot to Brazil, Belgium succumbed to a humiliating 4-1 home defeat to the Netherlands in their 2022/23 League curtain-raiser. After getting their Group 3 campaign off to a dreadful start, ‘De Rode Duivels’ will hope to bounce back in their first meeting with Poland in 15 years. Roberto Martinez’s side will be out to prove that the loss to the Dutch was just a one-off after suffering their first multi-goal margin defeat in over three years. The Belgians can rely on their outstanding home form as pre-match favourites, having gone unbeaten in 31 such fixtures in a row (W25, D6) before losing to Louis van Gaal’s high-flyers last time out. But without standout striker Romelu Lukaku, Belgium could find themselves in a world of pain this midweek.

In the meantime, Poland will turn up a confident mood after coming from behind to beat Wales 2-1 in their inaugural 2022/23 Nations League fixture. Now owning a run of three consecutive international triumphs, including a walkover of Russia, the Poles will be looking to build on their stellar away form. Since exiting Euro 2020 last summer, Czesław Michniewicz’s men have racked up four victories from five internationals held on hostile turf (D1), though two of those successes came against continental minnows Andorra and San Marino. However, Poland have shown that they have plenty of fighting spirit in them, having drawn their last four away internationals as pre-match outsiders, including a pair of 1-1 stalemates with England and Spain.