Tuesday 19th June 1600hrs Poland v Senegal Football – International – World Cup Poland and Senegal have waited the longest of all the 32 nations competing at this summer’s World Cup to get going. That’s the nature of these tournaments and it’s as much a mental test as it will be physical with so much packed into the four and a bit weeks. Like everybody else, though, it’s essentially three games in nine days and they will determine if they will be boarding a plane home or checking to see who they face in the knockout stages. Preview and best betting tips for Poland and Senegal can be found below.
For all it’s been a very positive period for the Polish national team, this will be the first time they have played at the World Cup finals since 2006. You have to go all the way back to 1986 for the last time they made it beyond the group stage so it will be interesting to see how they perform in Russia this summer. All that flies in the face of their participation at European Championships during the same generation of players. The Poles can, of course, point to two third place finishes in 1974 and eight years later, in what was their golden generation and though it would appear unlikely they can repeat that feat, they have a number of excellent players who are in their peak years and will be looking to make an impact. They lost only one game during qualification and qualified with relative ease above fellow finalists, Denmark. With Robert Lewandowski leading the line, it’s no surprise they come with goals and were one of the highest scorers in qualification – netting 28 goals in their 10 games. They are susceptible at the back though, and kept only two clean sheets.
Senegal created one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history when beating the current World Cup holders France 1-0 in the opening match of the 2002 finals in Japan and South Korea. It was their first ever appearance at a World Cup and the match with Poland marks just their second. If they can replicate the same exploits as 16 years ago when reaching the quarter finals then it will have been worth that exaggerated gap between finals. Their route to this stage was fairly straightforward as they avoided defeat in their six games, winning four of them. As is often the case for successful teams in the African qualification series, a major strength was Senegal’s defence and it will be interesting to see how that holds up in the finals themselves. Their attack is spearheaded by Liverpool’s Saido Mane who has been in sensational form at club level and will be looking to take that level of performance into the World Cup. Mane will be ably supported by a group of players currently plying their trade at European clubs in the main but he is the genuine touch of class who can make the difference.
Poland v Senegal Betting Tips
This may well be the final match of the opening round of fixtures but I have my suspicions that this could be one to wait for. Poland are all about their attack with Lewandowski heading that up and as one of the best strikers in world football it makes sense to play to that strength and look to provide him with as much service as possible. Senegal have similar quality in the shape of Mane and with the step up in standard from the African qualification having caught out the likes of Nigeria and Tunisia, they may have to make more of their attacking quality as opposed to relying solely on the efficiency of their defence.
One of the biggest features of Senegal’s participation in the 2002 World Cup was how physically dominant they were compared to their opponents and there is a chance they can use that to their advantage again. There is also no shortage of pace in the team, especially in forward areas which will be a real threat for opponents, especially Poland who have one of the oldest defences at this tournament.
It’s a clash of two styles but I think it is one that will see both teams create chances as the two defences will struggle to cope with the challenges they face. Poland are the more technical of the two teams but Senegal have an advantage in terms of their 1v1 duals and set pieces. Only five of the 14 games played in this year’s World Cup have seen both teams scoring but this can be another.
Betting Tip Both teams to score 6/5 @ William Hill
