Spain and Poland go head-to-head at the Estadio de La Cartuja in the second round of the Euro 2020 group stage fixtures on Saturday night.
The Spaniards exchanged a record-breaking 830 passes in their Euro 2020 curtain-raiser but failed to find the back of the net against Sweden.
Despite a sluggish start to their Euro 2020 journey, Poland will be looking to dwell on their impressive major tournament record on Spanish soil.
They suffered just one loss in eight matches in Spain (W3, D3) en route to finishing third at the 1982 World Cup.
Note: You can watch all Euro 2020 games via live streaming.
Spain Preview
Despite setting a European Championships record for having 81.1% possession of the ball against Sweden, Spain could only manage a bore draw in their Group E opener.
The Spaniards have drawn a blank twice in their last three matches, as many scoreless displays as they managed in their previous 51 international fixtures.
Manchester United shot-stopper David de Gea surrendered his starting berth at the national team to Athletic Club’s Unai Simon after falling down the pecking order at Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, Manchester City trio, Aymeric Laporte, Rodri and Ferran Torres were all in Luis Enrique’s starting line-up, with the latter pair leaving the pitch in the second half.
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ pace demon Adama Traore spent the game on the bench, same as Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta, who seems to be the back-up option to Atletico Madrid’s Marcos Llorente.
Liverpool playmaker Thiago Alcantara tried to connect the lines in the final half an hour, but Spain failed to break down a stubborn Swedish backline.
La Furia Roja now face the prospect of missing out on a win in their first two games at the European Championships for the first time since Euro 1996.
Suggested Article: Spain 0-0 Sweden: Player ratings as Enrique’s men fail to break down stubborn defence.
Poland Preview
Poland’s European Championships wobble continued on Matchday 1 as they lost 2-1 to Slovakia in their Group E opener, falling behind twice in that match.
The Poles are now faced with the risk of losing their opening two fixtures at major tournaments for the fourth time, last succumbing to back-to-back losses at the beginning of the 2018 World Cup.
Bayer Munich talisman Robert Lewandowski was a peripheral figure against Slovakia and will be desperate to up his game in a crunch meeting against Spain.
Poland will need their headline performer to rediscover his mojo as they hope to score more than once per game for the first time at the Euro finals.
Indeed, their disappointing attacking record at the European Championships has seen Poland score under 1.5 goals in each of their 12 games at the tournament.
Although he remains one of the most prolific strikers in Europe, Lewandowski laments a frustrating conversion rate at major tournaments (5.71%), having scored just twice from 35 attempts.
In the absence of Grzegorz Krychowiak, who received a red card against Slovakia, Leeds United midfielder Mateusz Klich is expected to have a more prominent role alongside Napoli’s Piotr Zielinski.
Suggested Article: Poland 1-2 Slovakia: Player ratings in shock win for underdogs.
Spain vs Poland Head-To-Head
Spain and Poland have never met the Euros, though the Spaniards head into this encounter on the back of an intimidating H2H record.
Indeed, the H2H stakes massively favour Spain, who won eight of their ten internationals against Poland, with their solitary failure in such contests dating back to 1980.
The former European champions have hosted Poland twice in the 21st century, winning both fixtures by an aggregate score of 9-0.
Spain vs Poland Predicted Line-ups
Spain (4-3-3): Unai Simon; Jordi Alba, Pau Torres, Aymeric Laporte, Marcos Llorente; Rodri, Thiago Alcantara, Koke; Daniel Olmo, Ferran Torres, Gerard Moreno.
Poland (4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny; Maciej Rybus, Jan Bednarek, Kamil Glik, Bartosz Bereszynski; Karol Linetty, Piotr Zielinski, Mateusz Klich; Kamil Jozwiak, Przemyslaw Frankowski, Robert Lewandowski.
Also Read: Euro 2020 Fixtures & Results.
