BOTH Poland and Estonia will be looking to take another step closer to Euro 2024 when the pair square off in their winner-takes-all playoff semi-final clash at the Stadion Narodowy on Thursday night.
Michal Probierz’s men have had to enter the pressure cooker of the playoff round after placing third in Group E behind both Albania and Czech Republic.
However, the White-Reds have been handed a relatively kind semi-final draw given that they will be coming up against the lowest-ranked side that is still competing for a coveted spot at this summer's showpiece.
Not since 2012 have Poland failed to qualify for a major tournament, so they will be desperate to keep that record intact by ensuring they take their place in next week's playoff final against either Wales or Finland.
Estonia, on the other hand, have never qualified for a major international tournament and they face a herculean task if they are to make their maiden appearance in Germany later this year.
Thomas Haberli’s side finished rock-bottom of Group F with a paltry one point, yet they still have the chance to qualify for Euro 2024 via the backdoor after topping Nations League Group D2.
Outright Betting
Poland are short priced 2/11 favourites on Ladbrokes to put Estonia to the sword on Thursday night.
Estonia are a whopping 20/1 (Ladbrokes) to triumph inside 90 minutes while a Stadion Narodowy stalemate is also considered unlikely at 7/1 (Bet 365).
Betting Angles
With Poland unbackable at the aforementioned price, I'll dip into the Bet Builder and package up Poland to Win, Under 5 Goals and Robert Lewandowski to Score at even-money on Bet 365.
Whilst Poland underwhelmed during the pool phase of qualifying, they should still possess far too much class for international minnows Estonia.
The White-Reds have shown over the last decade or so that they have real pedigree of reaching major finals, not to mention they have a squad that contains plenty of household names.
This is a stark contrast to that of an Estonia side made up mainly of domestic talent, which perhaps can be attributed to their abject showing during regular qualification when losing no fewer than seven of their eight Group F fixtures.
What's more, Thomas Haberli’s side lost each of their final three group games by a scoreline of 2-0 and a similar outcome wouldn't come as a huge surprise n the Polish capital this midweek
Each of Poland's last seven competitive victories across all competitions have failed to breach the Over 4.5 goal barrier and I suspect they will look to get the job done here with the minimum of fuss ahead of next week's make-or-break final.
To round off the even-money (Bet 365) Bet Builder, I'm also happy too back Robert Lewandowski to fire his nation to victory on Thursday night.
The Polish superstar produced a majestic performance in Barcelona's 3-0 win away at Atletico Madrid last Sunday and he can that form on to the international stage at the expense of lowly Estonia.
On a similar line of reasoning to some of the above, I'll also have a small interest on Poland to win 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0 at 10/11 in PaddyPower's correct score combination market.
This bet would have paid out in each of Poland's last five wins when excluding friendly matches, while the same play would have also proven profitable from the visitors' last three losses in meaningful match-ups.
This Euro 2024 match between Poland and Estonia will be played on Mar 21, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Poland vs Estonia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
