Poland – Netherlands

The home team will not be able to beat the group leader in Warsaw

Another important encounter in the fifth round of the Nations League A will take place in the Polish capital. The local side have already taken points from the Orange in the first leg and have the chance to repeat their success in the away game. That win is vital, should they have any ambitions of making the Final Four. The bookmakers, however, have somewhat disregarded the Warsaw home-field factor for Lewandowski and company, opting to favour the Netherlands. A win for the visitors can be picked at slightly higher odds than the Poles picking up at least one point. The Polish national team can under any circumstances count on a successful 2022 football year. Back in March, Michniewicz's side automatically qualified for the World Cup qualifiers with Russia, before confidently beating Sweden in the final. With all due respect to the Nations League, the Poles now regard the tournament as a preparatory stage for the World Cup. Poland's opening game of the tournament saw them beat Wales in Wroclaw, losing to the Welsh in the process. Michnevic's side were no longer able to shine in the subsequent encounters. First, the Poles got six goals from Belgium, scoring the opening goal, then they conceded twice from the Netherlands, narrowing the lead to 2-0. During the tournament, the Polish team appear to be trying, but they lack the class to compete with the stronger teams. The Netherlands qualified for the World Cup in Qatar without too many problems, beating a fair fight against the Turkish team. The Oranje seem to be playing through the current edition of the Nations League. In their first meeting in the tournament, they demolished Belgium 4-1 in Brussels, only allowing their opponents to score a consolation goal on 90+3 minutes. In the ensuing matches, the Netherlands have only lost points as a result of the draw against Poland, mentioned above, which gives them a 3-point lead over the Belgians. The Netherlands certainly have ambitions of winning the group. After a relatively long period of stagnation, the Orange need at least a meaningful win. A cautious bet in favour of the visitors.