The final countdown to UEFA Euro 2024 has officially begun as we approach a string of highly anticipated international friendlies. Some of the nations that are playing this week are heading for the big tournament and others aren’t, but either way, it’s important for all of them to try and build some momentum. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the impending clash between Poland and Ukraine.

For years now, it’s felt as if the Poland national team has been going through a golden generation and a half - or, at least, that’s what we’ve been told. Despite that, they’ve never really been able to live up to their potential on the world stage. The Poles are one of the most interesting countries to watch when firing on all cylinders, but inconsistency is a big issue for them.

Poland finished in 3rd place in their qualifying group and, all things considered, they’ll be pretty disappointed with that. They were four points behind Albania and Czech Republic who qualified automatically, but in the play-offs, they made the most of their opportunity by beating Estonia 5-1 in the semis before defeating Wales on penalties in the final.

It goes without saying that the Ukrainian national team has been through a lot, as can be said for the country as a whole. In the football sense, however, they need to bounce back after failing to qualify for the World Cup. They have the quality necessary to spring a few surprises, but what they appear to be lacking is some real team cohesion to help transform them into something new.

Following on from a third place finish in their qualifying group, Ukraine were forced to go through the dreaded playoffs. However, they actually managed them quite nicely, defeating Bosnia 2-1 in their semi-final before proceeding to edge past Iceland 2-1 in the final just days later.

In a game like this, the whole point is to do everything in your power to make an impact - but at the same time, there are far more important matches that lie ahead. Therefore, while we do think there will be some big moments here and there, our official prediction is under 2.5 goals scored.