Poland striker Robert Lewandowski. (Photo : Getty Images)
A high-profile encounter between two star-studded squads, Poland (0-0-1, 1 point) and Denmark (1-0-0, 3 points), is set on Oct. 8, Saturday at the National Stadium in Warsaw to continue Group E competitions in the 2018 FIFA World Cup UEFA qualifying tournament.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 8:45 p.m. UTC+2. It can be viewed live online thru FuboTV.
Poland, currently ranked 17th in the world by FIFA and one of the top contenders to outright qualify to Russia, was held to a 2-2 tie by 83rd-ranked Kazakhstan during their tournament-opener on Sep. 4 on the road at the Astana Arena in Astana, as per Soccerway.
The Polish side actually took a 2-0 lead by scoring two first-half goals, courtesy of Leicester City winger Bartosz Kapustka and Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, but the hosts came back and scored their own two goals in the second half to salvage the draw.
Kapustka directed a cross by Wolfsburg midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski past the outstretched arms of Kazakh goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov right at the ninth minute of the match to break the deadlock early.
Lewandowski then doubled the lead in the 35th with a successful spot kick off a foul by defender Yeldos Akhmetov inside the penalty area.
It looked like a won game for head coach Adam Nawalka's squad but Kazakh striker Sergey Khizhnichenko netted a brace at the 51st and 58th minutes to force the draw versus big-name team Poland.
Meanwhile, Denmark nipped a Henrikh Mkhitaryan-less Armenia XI, 1-0, at their home field of Parken Stadium in Copenhagen also on Sep. 4 to clinch the only win so far in Group E, ESPN reported.
Tottenham Hotspur winger Christian Eriksen netted what proved to be the winning goal in the 17th minute off an assist by Middlesbrough forward Viktor Fischer.
The Red and White failed to add to their goal total despite dominating ball possession almost the entire match, but they will surely take the win and three points in the group standings.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is a close 2-1 decision for Poland.
Poland starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Fabianski; Piszczek, Glik, Cionek, Rybus; Blaszczykowski, Krychowiak, Zielinski, Kapustka; Lewandowski, Milik
Denmark starting lineup (3-4-2-1 formation): Schmeichel; Kjaer, Christensen, Vestergaard; Ankersen, Hojbjerg, Kvist, Durmisi; Fischer, Eriksen; Jorgensen
