Poland will hope to get their World Cup 2026 qualification campaign off to a strong start when they welcome Lithuania to Stadion Narodowy in their first group stage game on Friday.
The hosts lost 2-1 to Scotland in the Nations League in their most recent match on November 18, whereas Lithuania were beaten 1-0 by Kosovo in the same competition on the same date.
Match preview
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Poland's defensive vulnerability was on full display against Scotland, conceding in the third and 93rd minutes, and the defeat saw them relegated to League B of the Nations League.
The White-Reds have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last 11 matches and have conceded 13 goals in their past four.
Head coach Michal Probierz will be keen to help his side qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, with the team having qualified for four of the last six tournaments.
Poland's form is concerning given they have lost four and been held to a stalemate in one of their five most recent fixtures.
The hosts are also winless in their past five at home having been beaten on four occasions in that period, though they did win seven of their prior nine at Stadion Narodowy.
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Opponents Lithuania will be immensely disappointed by their display against Kosovo considering they lost despite having a player advantage for the entirety of the second half.
Boss Edgaras Jankauskas's team have conceded at least two goals in four of their last five and have shipped 16 in their past six World Cup qualifiers.
The away side are winless in three clashes against Poland – losing two – and were beaten 4-0 in their previous clash against their hosts in June 2018.
Lithuania have lost each of their last seven games in all competitions, and though they won their previous three, they have only triumphed in four of their past 29.
While the visitors' form on the road is better than their overall showings considering they have emerged victorious in two of their most recent five away from home, they lost the other three outings in that time.
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![Berlin, Germany: Robert Lewandowski of Poland seen confused after defeat during the UEFA EURO, EM, Europameisterschaft,Fussball 2024 Group D match between Poland and Austria at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. June 21, 2024 [IMAGO]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/25/robert-lewandowski-dejected.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Berlin, Germany: Robert Lewandowski of Poland seen confused after defeat during the UEFA EURO, EM, Europameisterschaft,Fussball 2024 Group D match between Poland and Austria at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. June 21, 2024 [IMAGO]")
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Marcin Bulka is likely to be positioned in goal for Poland, and boss Probierz could select defenders Matty Cash, Jan Bednarek and Jakub Kiwior in a back three.
Striker Robert Lewandowski is certain to appear up front, and he may be supported by midfielders Sebastian Szymanski, Jakub Moder and Bartosz Slisz.
Meanwhile, the visitors could station centre-backs Edgaras Utkus, Edvinas Girdvainis and Titas Milasius in defence.
Lithuania may start Fiodor Cernych, Gvidas Gineitis and Matijus Remeikis in midfield, while Tomas Kalinauskas is likely to be partnered up front by Armandas Kucys.
Poland possible starting lineup:
Bulka; Cash, Bednarek, Kiwior; Kaminski, Szymanski, Moder, Slisz, Zalewski; Lewandowski, Urbanski
Lithuania possible starting lineup:
Gertmonas; Utkus, Girdvainis, Milasius; Sirvys, Cernych, Gineitis, Remeikis, Lasickas; Kalinauskas, Kucys
We say: Poland 2-1 Lithuania
Neither side come into the clash in good form, and it is difficult to see either keeping a clean sheet.
It would not be surprising if Poland edged a close match against Lithuania given their strong track record in World Cup qualifiers.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Lewis Nolan
