International Friendly: Poland Hope to Get to Where New Zealand Are

Poland vs New Zealand

Poland will set aside their World Cup qualifying duties this Thursday, as they host New Zealand in an International Friendly at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów. After this, they will visit the Darius and Girenas Stadium on Sunday to take on Lithuania in their next World Cup qualifiers match.

Jan Urban has been undefeated in his first two games as Poland’s manager, holding the Netherlands to a 1-1 draw and winning 3-1 against Finland last month. He’ll look to keep it going against New Zealand, which many consider a winnable contest.

On the other hand, New Zealand are merely using this time to prepare for next year’s showpiece event, which they have already secured their spot after topping their confederation, capped off with a 3-0 win in the qualifying final against New Caledonia last March. 

​This exhibition game will serve as a momentum builder for both sides, and SBOTOP is here for the match preview.

 

Talking Points

Poland to go at full strength

Since Jan Urban replaced Michal Probierz last July, Poland have rebuilt their relationship with star striker Robert Lewandowski, and the Barcelona star has shown willingness to represent the country when called upon. He scored his 86th international goal in the Poles’ 3-1 win over Finland last time out, and Lewandowski will be ready to lead the frontline alongside Krzysztof Piątek and Karol Swiderski.

Piotr Zielinski has been promoted as Poland’s vice-captain, and he’ll join a fairly stacked midfield crop, which also includes Jakub Kamiński, Sebastian Szymański, Przemysław Frankowski, and Jakub Piotrowski. Jakub Moder, Adam Buksa, and Nicola Zalewski are notable omissions. Meanwhile, 37-year-old Kamil Grosicki received a recall for the first time since June.

Jan Bednarek will man the backline alongside Jakub Kiwior and Matty Cash, with Lukasz Skorupski standing between the sticks. Cash, in particular, has shown his goalscoring chops recently, as he scored Aston Villa’s first Premier League goal of the season against Sunderland while scoring the first goal against Finland.

 

Veterans will buoy New Zealand

Head coach Darren Bazeley has called upon the veterans this international break, as New Zealand are dealing with a handful of injuries. Forwards Eli Just and Dalton Wilkins have both pulled out of the squad. In return, Lukas Kelly-Heald and Tommy Smith have been called up to beef up their backline. 

Kelly-Heald, who can play centre-back or left-back, just turned 20 last March, and many see him as a key player for the All Whites for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Smith has been there and done that, as the 35-year-old centre-back already has two goals in 56 caps.

Chris Wood will continue to spearhead New Zealand’s attack, looking to regain his scoring touch. The Nottingham Forest man has two goals in seven matches this term. 32-year-old goalie Max Crocombe, who will get his 20th cap on Thursday, will be the main man between the sticks.

 

History

Thursday marks only the third competitive meeting between Poland and New Zealand. Poland are undefeated in their past two friendlies against New Zealand, with a goalless draw in their first in June 1999 and a 2-0 result in October 2002.

Poland aim to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time. In the 2022 edition, the Poles reached the Round of 16 but lost 3-1 to France. Overall, their best finish in the quadrennial event was third in 1974 and 1982.

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s appearances in the World Cup have been few and far between. The All Whites qualified twice in 1982 and 2010 but never advanced past the group stage. After a long wait, they finally booked their tickets to the big dance by beating New Caledonia, who still have a chance to qualify for the first time via the play-off tournament.

 

Betting Tip

The International Friendly 2025 odds are backing Poland to extend their undefeated run over New Zealand on Thursday. The Poles are 1.43 favourites to win, whereas the All Whites are huge 5.60 underdogs, and a draw is at 3.76 in the 1X2 market.

Poland should beat New Zealand with ease while putting up new International Friendly 2025 highlights at home for the fans to enjoy. Besides our recommended bet, bettors may be tempted to add Over 2.25 at 1.64 and Over 2.50 at 1.90 to the parlay. However, Total Goals 2-3 at 1.99 could be the safer choice. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 2-0 in favour of the hosts – the result of their last encounter – is on offer at 6.40.

   

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