Poland vs Moldova

A place at the Euro 2024 is potentially at stake as Poland and Moldova go head-to-head at the PGE Narodowy in a crucial qualifying Group E fixture.

Poland’s six Euro 2024 qualifying matches have fluctuated between victories (3) and defeats (3). Continuing that trend with a 2-0 win in the Faroe Islands on Michał Probierz’s touchline debut catapulted them to a coveted runner-up spot in an evenly-contested Group E. However, they cannot afford to rest on their laurels as despite boasting a one-point lead on closest followers, the Czech Republic and Moldova, they’ve played one more game. They now have the chance to blow the Moldovans out of the water and exact their revenge after squandering a two-goal cushion at halftime in a frustrating 3-2 defeat in the reverse fixture on matchday four. Playing in Warsaw should be helpful, considering they’ve won both Euro 2024 qualifiers on home turf ‘to nil,’ which has been the case in both home H2Hs this century.

In the meantime, Moldova had not been given much chance to qualify for their first Euros finals as a sovereign country at the start of this cycle, but they’ve done a sterling job defying the odds. Except for a 2-0 defeat in Albania on matchday three, the visitors have gone unbeaten in all four remaining Euro 2024 qualifiers (W2, D2), including back-to-back wins in the build-up to this trip. A 1-0 victory in the Faroe Islands in September saw the ‘Tricolour’ halt a 13-year wait for a first triumph and a first clean sheet away in Euro qualifiers, putting Serghei Cleșcenco’s side on the right track. However, Moldova collapsed in the warm-up fixture a few days ago, succumbing to a 3-1 friendly loss to Sweden, which marked only their second defeat in 2023 (W2, D3).