Will Lewandowski recover from the missed penalty? Emmanuel Adebayor Expert World Cup Prediction & Tips for 26 November 2022

Former Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Tottenham, and Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor previews and gives his official betting match prediction for the game between POLAND vs SAUDI ARABIA in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar Group C on 26th November 2022. Can ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI manage to grab his first goal in a World Cup to propel Poland to a shot at knockout qualification? Find out what Emmanuel Adebayor has to say!

Poland is a solid European team with a good chance of making it big at major international tournaments, but they have not done anything. The last time they qualified for the World Cup was back in 1986; they have qualified for it only three times, but every time they failed to qualify, with one win and two defeats in each group stage.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the White Eagles had a real shot at making the playoffs. They faced a stellar Argentina, a resilient Mexico and a Saudi Arabia that seemed to be the underdog in the tournament. It was a group that could be eliminated in the last eight, but the Poles were in no hurry to do so. They played defensively against the Mexicans but had a great chance to claim three points when Robert Lewandowski missed a penalty. It was a 0:0 draw.

Poland kicked off the group stage with a 0:0 tie against Mexico. In this game, a penalty by the team captain, Robert Lewandowski, was saved by Ochoa. Poland missed a great opportunity to make a big step to the round of 16. The last advance beyond the group stage was in 1986.

Emmanuel Adebayor exclusively for Telecom Asia Sport

The Saudi national team have had varying success in qualifying for the World Cup. They didn't qualify for the World Cup in 2010 and 2014, but they played in the 2018 World Cup in Russia and even won one match against Egypt, but they still didn't make it to the playoffs. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, they were also considered the main outsiders in the group because it was tough to compete with the Poles and Mexicans, and it was even unacceptable to dream about a point in the game with the Argentines.

The first half only convinced this as the team had no time to raise their heads as they conceded one attack after another from the Argentines. Before the break, Saudi Arabia conceded four goals, but only one was counted. But in the second half, Saleh Al-Shehri levelled the score, and five minutes later, Salem Al-Dawsari gave them the lead. It looked like Messi, and company would surely get back into the game, but it didn't happen, a 2:1 win for the Greens.

Saudi Arabia shocked not only Lionel Messi but the whole world. They played a very good game. It can be one of the World Cup surprises beating the World Cup favourite, Argentina, 2:1. This victory put them in a good position. Currently, Saudi Arabia is at the top of their group. It is incredible.

Emmanuel Adebayor exclusively for Telecom Asia Sport

The Saudi team is the author of the main sensation of the first round of the World Cup 2022, but it is unlikely that they will now start to fight for the trophy. On the contrary, their success against Argentina will be an opportunity for the Poles to prepare themselves for the encounter, hoping to avoid a similar scare as the South Americans. The Red and Whites are much stronger than the Greens in terms of performance, so they should have no problem picking up three points and have already lost two points.

The Polish team plays very pragmatically. The statistics show that in the last five games involving the Red and Whites, only five goals were scored (1.00 average per game), which is a very modest figure, and every time there was a bookmaker's total under. And now we are unlikely to witness a goal extravaganza.

Poland will play with their heart. They will want to win. Lewandowski will try everything possible to score. As for Saudi Arabia's chances, they are coming to this game full of confidence. If they get another victory, they will qualify for the last 16, while Poland can miss another opportunity to get three points.