Belgium – Poland

Belgium unlikely to beat Poland with a big margin

The Belgian team will play against Poland on Wednesday 8 June. Martinez's side suffered a crushing 1-4 defeat to the Netherlands. It's a result not seen since 2008. There are a lot of questions for the coach. In particular, the specialist fielded Eden Hazard, who does not play for Real Madrid at all, in the starting line-up. Belgium were also unprepared for the Netherlands' incisive counterattacking moves but were keen to control the ball and act first-choice. Another bad news for Belgium is the injury to Romelu Lukaku. There is no adequate replacement for the forward. They need to restructure the game in the attack. At the same time Belgium initially planned a considerable rotation for the match against Poland. Now this arrangement is not quite obvious. The coach needs to rehabilitate himself for the nightmare defeat. Otherwise, even the question of Martinez's resignation could be raised. Poland were the first team to play in the Nations League in Europe. The match took place on the first of June. The Poles beat Wales at home with difficulty. The Welsh had their minds set on a future clash with Ukraine. That said, you can't say that Poland won with class, or by a margin. The Poles are still typical mediocre players in European football. Robert Lewandowski alone cannot deliver results against the top teams. In World Cup qualifying, the Poles looked decent, but it was all about their defensive performance. Poland's defensive performance proved to be tormenting for England on two occasions. At home, they even managed to snatch a draw, while away they suffered only a narrow defeat. Poland's style of play will not change. A classic, defensive style with no ball control will be played against Belgium. At the same time, we cannot expect the Netherlands to be effective on the counterattack. Poland do not have any fast, quality wingers of the top level. The bookmakers give generally fair odds on the game's winner. But you can keep an eye on the total. We expect a relatively productive match. The reverse scenario is also possible. Poland will try to minimize risks. The team has had more time to rest, has a quality defence and a proven tactic of playing with focus on defence. Belgium, meanwhile, are on the decline. The absence of Romelu Lukaku will have an impact on their attacking potential. Poland will settle for a draw as well. The team won't open up too much, even if they concede first. There is also the possibility of a victory for Belgium. Martinez will need to focus on defence after conceding four goals. For now, the main thing for the home team is to get a result.