The Draw
Under 2.5 Goals
Ethan Ampadu to Commit Two or More Fouls
Robert Lewandowski to Have Two or More Shots on Target
Harry Wilson to Have One or More Shots on Target
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Tuesday 7.45pm: Wales v Poland
Euro 2024 Qualifier at the Cardiff City Stadium
TV: S4C, Viaplay Sports 2, BBC iPlayer
The international break has a lot of haters.
No, I don’t mean those people who live on the internet and thrive from shouting into the void to make up for their own sad little lives.
There’s a genuine school of thought that club football far exceeds the excitement levels that come with games featuring national teams.
Well, you tell that to the Welsh and Polish lads on Monday night as they’re struggling to sleep due to the overwhelming proximity to a month-long jolly in Germany.
That’s proper footballing heritage – the right to embarrass yourself in the Black Forest for four long weeks.
And I for one wouldn’t have it any other way.
Bar a final of same, there is no other higher-stakes game in world football than being a single win away from qualifying for a major tournament.
It gives an entire population a chance to recite memories for upto a century.
For God’s sake, my father still talks about the Walkinstown Roundabout after Italia ’90. It was just a load of people on a bloody roundabout!
But this particular instance sees the Welsh and Polish – two equally difficult accents to understand – go toe-to-toe.
Will they be screaming on the streets of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch or dancing in the alleyways of Siemieniakowszczyzna?
The Draw
These two are hilariously equally matched. Even go back to their qualifying groups.
They both had three wins. They both scored ten goals. They both conceded ten goals. They both finished third behind no great shakes, and they’re equally harmless.
The tournament is getting them because they’ve expanded to 24 teams and not for any other reason.
And they both know that.
It’s why their uber-cautious approach is going to combine with total tension given what’s at stake and provide us with a stalemate that will ultimately go to penalties.
Under 2.5 Goals
The ball might only occasionally leave the middle third, and if it does, there’ll be fewer willing runners than in Nicky Henderson pre-Cheltenham showcase.
This went over in only two of Wales’ eight games in the groups, and that’s the same story with Poland. Making themselves hard to beat appeared to be the order of the day – and the plan almost worked when you consider the fact that they hammered inferior opposition to get to this point.
But unfortunately, they’re now just that meme of Spiderman pointing at himself.
Ethan Ampadu to Commit Two or More Fouls
God love him, he’ll be the one sitting back when Welsh full backs pop into pockets, and he will be unmerciful at hacking players down in their wake.
He knows full well that Wales should have total command in the air, so set pieces won’t be a problem, and once the ball is floated high in the air, Robert Lewandowski should pose no serious threat.
Robert Lewandowski to Have Two or More Shots on Target
But my God, he’ll find a way.
They often joke that a superstar can carry a nation; but given this iteration of a Polish side, he very much has got to.
Harry Wilson to Have One or More Shots on Target
Wales have two modes: play off big Kieffer Moore and get the knockdowns, or shoot from distance.
Either of these approach will generally see Harry Wilson land the opportunities, and given hes’ also got the dead ball ops in his back pocket, this seems a surefire leg.
The Draw
Under 2.5 Goals
Ethan Ampadu to Commit Two or More Fouls
Robert Lewandowski to Have Two or More Shots on Target
Harry Wilson to Have One or More Shots on Target
All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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