Albania vs Poland

Air Albania Stadium is the venue as Albania and Poland go head-to-head in a high-stakes Euro 2024 qualifier.

Albania’s bid to reach the European Championship finals for the first time since 2016 has gone from strength to strength after a stuttering qualifying Group E start. The ‘Red and Blacks’ slumped to a gut-wrenching 1-0 loss at Poland on the opening matchday, extending their dreadful H2H losing run to eight consecutive matches. However, Sylvinho’s men have since racked up seven out of the possible nine points (W2, D1). After back-to-back two-goal margin wins over the Faroe Islands and Moldova, the Albanians held the Czech Republic to a 1-1 draw earlier this week, soaring to second in the Group E standings. They cannot afford to rest on their laurels despite winning their last two home outings, considering they had gone winless in five previous home matches beforehand (D3, L2).

On the other hand, visiting Poland had to show plenty of patience in their first September fixture against the Faroe Islands as marquee striker Robert Lewandowski netted an unanswered brace beyond the 60th minute to inspire his nation to a vital 2-0 home win. Fernando Santos’ men have blown hot and cold during the ongoing qualifying campaign, alternating between winning (2) and losing (2) across four Group E matches. It’s worth noting that both defeats have come away from home and saw Poland concede precisely three goals. Those results form part of the Poles’ underwhelming five-game form in competitive away action (W1, D1, L3). That hardly makes good reading for the visitors as they start this round a point adrift of their second-placed hosts.