Can Lewandowski and company advance to the 2026 World Cup playoff final? If so, they will face either Sweden or Ukraine in Valencia or Solna next week.
Best Predictions for Poland vs Albania
- Robert Lewandowski to score first @ +300 with bet365
- Poland to win and both teams to score (No) @ +140 with bet365
- Poland -1 (Handicap 3-Way) @ +200 with bet365
All odds are courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
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Backing Lewandowski to score first
Although Robert Lewandowski has failed to score in seven of his last nine games for Barcelona, the veteran is bound to step up for this crucial game. The 37-year-old has still maintained an impressive average of nearly one goal every two matches for both club and country this term.
He’s scored 11 goals in 24 games for Barca and averaged more than a goal every other game for Poland, netting four times in seven outings.
As the captain of the national team, Lewandowski is well aware that this represents his final opportunity to play for his country at a major tournament. We believe the 25% chance of Lewandowski scoring first greatly undervalues his continued contribution for Poland. WhoScored gave Lewandowski an average rating of 7.7 during the group stage, with only two other Polish players recording an average of over 7 in the campaign.
- Poland vs Albania Prediction 1: Robert Lewandowski to score first @ +300 with bet365
Poles to advance with a clean sheet
Poland allowed fewer than one goal per match during their qualifying run. Meanwhile, Albania averaged fewer than one goal scored per game in their respective group.
Because of this, we are backing Poland to secure an outright victory while keeping a clean sheet, making the Both Teams to Score - No market seem very appealing. The absence of Albania’s leading group-stage goalscorer will severely reduce their attacking options.
Albania have managed to defeat Poland only once across their 12 encounters since 1970. Furthermore, the winning side have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three head-to-head meetings.
- Poland vs Albania Prediction 2: Poland to win and both teams to score (No) @ +140 with bet365
Value on a two-goal victory margin
If Poland score first, backing them on the handicap seems like a very smart choice. An early goal would force the Albanians to open up and push bodies forward as they search for an equaliser. The visitors will try to frustrate and take time out of the game, but an early breakthrough for the hosts would make a victory by at least two goals highly probable.
Poland found the back of the net 14 times during their eight qualifiers, giving them a scoring rate of 1.75 goals per match. They just need to keep up that average to score twice on Thursday.
It’s worth noting that home advantage will also be a major advantage for the Poles. We can currently back Poland to win by two or more goals at a probability of only 33%. Given that Albania averaged a mere 0.88 goals scored per game during the qualifiers, Poland will only need to score twice to cover this line.
- Poland vs Albania Prediction 3: Poland -1 (Handicap 3-Way) @ +200 with bet365
Our analysis: Form of both teams
- Score prediction - Poland 2-0 Albania
- Goalscorers prediction - Poland: Lewandowski, Szymański - Albania: N/A
Poland will enjoy the benefit of playing on home soil when they face Albania in their 2026 World Cup playoff semi-final on Thursday evening.
The Poles had a very successful run during their Group G qualifiers, collecting 17 points across eight matches. Even though they averaged over two points per game, they could not overtake the Netherlands, who topped the group without losing a single match.
Poland conceded just seven goals in their eight group stage qualifiers. However, they will have to make a couple of changes to their starting lineup this Thursday. Midfielder Nicola Zalewski is suspended after picking up a yellow card during their final group match against Malta. Thankfully for head coach Jan Urban, there are no other major selection problems. Jakub Kaminski is likely to assist Robert Lewandowski in the final third.
With England dominating Group K by winning all eight of their matches without conceding a single goal, Albania had no real chance of claiming the top spot. They only secured second place over Serbia by a single point. They showed defensive solidity, conceding only five goals across their eight fixtures, though they scored only seven goals.
The visitors will travel to Poland without one of their top strikers. Rey Manaj, who scored three of Albania’s seven qualifying goals, will not travel as he tore a thigh muscle. He’ll be replaced by Myrto Uzuni, who will likely play alongside Armando Broja.
Probable lineups for Poland vs Albania
Poland expected lineup: Grabara, Kiwior, Skoras, Ziolkowski, Kedziora, Zielinski, Moder, Cash, Kaminski, Szymański, Lewandowski
Albania expected lineup: Strakosha, Ajeti, Mitaj, Hysaj, Djimsiti, Shehu, Asllani, Laci, Hoxha, Broja, Uzuni