The qualifications are finally over, and all 32 teams now know their opponents for the first three matches along with the fixtures at the FIFA 2022 Qatar World Cup Leagues around the world will be paused, but for the initial three months of those seasons, players will be fighting to get that place on the plane to the biggest tournament in sport. With Qatar 2022 almost upon us, here we look at one of the dark horses, Poland, and their chances of making an impact.
Poland Chances Of Progrssion At The FIFA 2022 Qatar World Cup, Group, Fixtures
For the latter part of November, and hopefully well into December the whole of Poland will be tuned in to their team on the televisions, following the odds on zakładybukmacherskie online, and willing Czesław Michniewicz’s team on. For a football-mad country, it has been far too long since their national side has delivered anything like success at the World Cup. Qatar is the 9th time Poland have qualified for the tournament, and in both the 1974 and 1982 world cups they lost in the semi-finals. The last three times they have qualified, the team has failed to get out of the group stage.
Poland’s Group
In a World Cup draw that failed to produce the usual “Group of Death”, Poland fans and their team will, like most of their counterparts, look at their draw and think it could have been better, it could have been worse. In pot three, Poland were drawn against Argentina from pot one, Mexico from pot two (a pot which also contained the likes of Germany, the Netherlands and last time’s defeated finalists Croatia), and Saudi Arabia from pot four.
Poland’s first match is against Mexico on Tuesday 22nd November, their second versus Saudi Arabia on Saturday the 26th November, while their final group game, but hopefully not match of the tournament is against Argentina on November the 30th.
Two things jump out from that. Firstly the games come thick and fast, and secondly, the first two games, the first one especially are crucial to Michniewicz’s team’s chances of progression. They will not be wanting to go into the game against tournament favourites Argentina needing anything, especially all three points.
Poland in Qualifying
Poland’s qualification went roughly to form, and placed in a group with England, secured the second-place spot that guaranteed them a playoff spot. An impressive 2-0 against Sweden, a club they have traditionally struggled against booked their ticket to the Middle East. The most notable results, the Sweden one aside, were a 1-1 draw at home to England, and a 1-2 defeat at home to Hungary.
To say Poland are a one-man team is incorrect and harsh on the rest of the players, and Szczesnyin particular will have a role equally as important as their talismanic number 9. There is no getting away from the fact however that if Poland are to progress, then a lot will rest on the shoulders, the feet and head, of RobertLewandowski. Going into what will almost certainly be his final World Cup, the Bayern Munich striker will be keen to cap a tremendous career on the greatest stage in the game.
Poland’s opponents
With the greatest of respect to Saudi Arabia – who of course will be very at home in the heat of Qatar – it does look like a battle between Poland and Mexico for that second qualifying position, and coming as it does on the second day of the tournament that game could bethe first classic of the competition.
The two nations have faced each other eight times, each winning three times with two ending all square. All three Polish victories came in the 1970’s including the only game the sides have played in a World Cup, when Poland triumphed 3-1 in Argentina ’78. The last time the two sides met was in 2017, when Mexico won by the only goal of the game.
Mexico are currently ranked 9th in the world (against Poland’s 26th) but that does flatter a side that has struggled of late, certainly did not impress during qualifying and have found it hard to score. Gerardo Martino sets his team out more to not lose than to excite and win, something that – along with the less than impressive results – has not endeared him to the Mexican masses.
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