Battle at the top of Group A1 as Poland travel to the Stadio Città del Tricolore to take on Italy

Poland have to very tough game ahead of them as they take on Italy who sit just a point behind the Poles in their respective UEFA Nations League group.

Poland will need to be on top form if they are to get the victory against the Italians in their own backyard. UEFA Nations League Group A1 is really tight at the moment as only two points separate league leaders Poland (seven points) and third-placed Netherlands (five points).

At the Silesian Stadium, Poland took part in a friendly match with Ukraine as a warmup for their last two Nations League matches.

The two sides posed a challenge for each other and it was a good battle from start to finish. Paweł Bochniewicz gave away a penalty in the 11th minute which Andriy Yarmelonko was unable to convert as his shot rattled off the post and back into play.

Just before half-time, in the 39th minute Krzysztof Piatek capitalised on Andriy Lunin’s mistake and lobbed the goalkeeper after Piotr Zielinski’s pass found the striker and he made no mistake in scoring into an empty net.

It took Jakub Moder 32 seconds from coming on to score Poland’s second goal which sealed the deal. The forward pounced on a cross which he bundled over the line for his first international goal.

This was an important win for Poland as they won back-to-back games against Ukraine for the first time in the history of these sides playing against each other.

Italy also played friendly at the same time Poland faced Ukraine, faceing Estonia at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Gli Azzurri have a massive crisis as most of their key first-team players out with either injury or Covid-19 related problems which saw a much weaker side being played against Estonia and a more of a rotational side to see some players in action that could be used in the important matches in the UEFA Nations League for Italy.

A 41-man squad was named for the upcoming games as six players were already self-isolating due to Covid-19. Roberto Mancini is also self-isolating due to the virus and so we saw Alberigo Evani take charge of the side.

Vincenzo Grifo opened up the scoring for Italy in the 14th minute as they looked to dominate the game and dictate play throughout.

Federico Bernardeschi doubled the lead 13 minutes later as the Italians took a 2-0 lead going into half-time. Two second-half penalties from Grifo and Riccardo Orsolini gave Italy a comfortable 4-0 win over an Estonian side that were unable to have a shot on target.

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For Italy, many players may be able to return to the side after recovering from injuries etc. They still will be without Giorgio Chellini as he was unable to get the call-up due to injury. Federico Chiesa and Ciro Immobile remain doubts for the game and may see Bernardeschi, Andrea Belotti and Lorenzo Insigne starting upfront for Gli Azzuri.

For Poland, they have a fit squad and can go all guns blazing for this game. They will be without Leeds United midfielder Mateusz Klich as he serves a one-match ban after accumulating two yellow cards.

Head to Head

In their last game against each other, they drew 0-0 at the Stadion Energa Gdansk and Poland have only beaten Italy twice in their competitive history.

The first time was in the 1974 World Cup. Andrzej Szarmach and Kazimierz Deyna gave Poland a 2-0 lead going into half-time. Fabio Capello reduced the deficit with four minutes to go, but Poland held on for the win which secured them top spot in their group. They went on to finish the tournament in third place.

The second time was a 3-1 win back in November 2003. Jacek Bąk opened the scoring in the sixth minute of the game with Tomasz Kłos adding a second in the 18th minute.

Antonio Cassano halved the deficit a minute later for the Gli Azzuri, but Jacek Krzynowek put the game to bed in the 84th minute, securing the 3-1 victory.

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