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Football: Poland to take on Andorra in World Cup qualifier

12.11.2021 12:30
Poland are set to take on Andorra in their penultimate 2022 World Cup qualifier away from home on Friday, needing a win to keep alive their hopes of automatically reaching next year's football tournament in Qatar.
Poland players during a training session in Girona, Spain ahead of the teams World Cup qualifier against Andorra.
Poland players during a training session in Girona, Spain ahead of the team's World Cup qualifier against Andorra.Photo: PAP/Andrzej Lange

The match at Estadi Nacional in Andorra la Vella kicks off at 8:45 p.m. Warsaw time.

Poland are ranked 23rd worldwide by football's governing body FIFA, while Andorra are No. 152 in the FIFA table.

The Poles, under their Portuguese manager Paulo Sousa, go into the match led by star strikeRobert Lewandowskiand the squad also includes several other players excelling in Europe, such as Napoli midfielder Piotr Zieliński and Hertha Berlin forward Krzysztof Piątek.

English Premier League right-back Matty Cash, who became a Polish citizen last month, is expected to make his international debut.

The Polish team, captained by Lewandowski, FIFA's world player of the year for 2020, on October 12 beat Albania 1-0 in its previous 2022 World Cup qualifier.

After eight rounds of fixtures, Poland are in second place in their qualifying Group I, behind England, with 17 points and a plus-17 goal differential.

All group winners in European qualification automatically secure a place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The 10 group runners-up will have a second chance to advance through playoffs in March.

Poland need to beat Andorra on Friday night to preserve their chances of qualifying automatically for next year's World Cup in Qatar.

The tournament will be held in Qatar from November 21 to December 18, 2022.

Source: PAP