Poland are in need of a win to jumpstart their qualifying campaign as they host Albania in their second Group E fixture on Monday.
The hosts made a disappointing start to their qualifying campaign as they were beaten 3-1 to the Czech Republic in their opening fixture on Friday. They made a poor start and fell three goals down before Damian Szymanski grabbed a late consolation.
It was a poor outing for Poland, who have now lost their last three matches, a run stretching back to the Qatar 2022 World Cup. For a manager who prides himself on defensive solidity, Fernando Santos will be particularly disappointed with that result and will be keen to set things right on Monday.
A positive for Poland ahead of Monday’s clash is that they often do some of their best work at home. They have claimed four wins in their last seven home matches with wins over Sweden and Wales among their results in that run.
In contrast to Poland’s opening day disappointment, Albania made a fine start to their qualifying campaign. Goals in each half from Xhuliano Skuka and Kristjan Asllani gave them a 2-0 victory over Armenia in their opening fixture.
Manager Sylvinho would have enjoyed that result as it was Albania’s first win since November 2021. They had also suffered two straight defeats in that run, including a 3-1 loss at home to Italy back in November.
One of the problems for Albania is a poor record on their travels as they have claimed just one win in their last 10 matches away from home. They have been beaten six times in that run, including a 1-0 defeat to Qatar in a friendly back in November.
How the bookies view it
Poland are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 11/18 by SBK. An unlikely victory for Albania is valued at 6/1 by Unibet while bet365 is offering odds of 3/1 for a draw.
Head to head
Poland have never lost to Albania with eight wins and two draws from 10 previous matches. The Poles did the double over the visitors during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, claiming a 4-1 victory at home before picking up a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture.
Players to watch
Robert Lewandowski had a quiet outing in the Czech Republic but remains the biggest attacking threat for Poland. The striker was on target the last time the Poles hosted Albania and is priced at evens by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Monday.
Having kept a clean sheet in the last meeting between both teams, Poland will be targeting a repeat on Monday. Jan Bednarek and Jakub Kiwior should continue in central defence and can lead the hosts to a clean sheet at 5/6 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
It was a comfortable victory for Poland the last time they hosted Albania and with a similar contest expected on Monday, a -1 handicap can be considered at 7/4 with Betfred. The Poles scored in both halves in that fixture and could be set for a repeat at 2/1 with bet365.
With Poland expected to keep a clean sheet on Monday, a win to nil can also be considered at 13/10 with BetVictor.
This Euro 2024 match between Poland and Albania will be played on Mar 27, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Poland vs Albania prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
