Piast Gliwice vs Pogon Szczecin
Competition: Polish Ekstraklasa
Date: 22 July 2017
Kick-off: 15:30 CET
Piast were considered underdogs in their game versus Cracovia last weekend, but the way they played, and most of all the mentality they showed, told a very different story. A minute after going 1-0 down, captain Gerard Badia leveled the score, but unfortunately for him and the team, soon he got injured, had to be substituted, and will spend weeks sidelined. In cases of knee injuries like his, it usually takes two months for a player to be match-fit again, but both Badia and Piast’s doctor looked positive these last days that in this particular case the recovery period will be shorter. Piast were far more active offensively in the second half, they missed big chances to score the second goal that would give them all three points, they even missed a penalty in the 75th minute with Konstantin Vassiljev, which was kind of ironic, since the Estonian was one of their best players in the whole game. All in all, Piast looked good, definitely much better than the hosts, and they have reasons to feel that they deserved more than just one point.
Pogon suffered an… 120-second shock between the 17th and the 19th minute of their game at home against Wisla Krakow, in less than 120 seconds they conceded twice, which left them with a mountain to climb. They did go to the dressing room at halftime having gotten a goal back, and they did have their chances in the second half, but all in all, they were outsmarted by the visitors. Even though Pogon had bigger ball possession and almost 140 more passes completed than Wisla, they still finished the game with one shot on goal less, which shows that they simply failed to find ways to penetrate Wisla’s defense, while also looking vulnerable defensively in 2-3 cases that Wisla went on quick counterattacks. It will be interesting to see how they will do against a team that likes ball possession (Piast had 58% in their game at Cracovia, despite being visitors).
Piast Gliwice vs Pogon Szczecin: Head-to-head Stats
Two wins for Piast, two draws, and one win for Pogon in the last five games between these two in Gliwice, but Pogon’s win was in the most recent match, in August 2016.
Piast Gliwice vs Pogon Szczecin: Prediction
Piast are considered favorites (not strong, but definitely favorites) to win this game, and I have to agree. I really liked the way they played at Cracovia, while Pogon looked rather… problematic against Wisla Krakow. The fact that Piast’s captain, Badia, will be missing, is obviously a problem for the hosts, but even without him last weekend, after he got substituted, Piast showed no sign of… functioning worse than before.
Piast Gliwice vs Pogon Szczecin: Tips
Piast’s win pays 2.10, which may be enough for some. Deep down I expect Pogon to score, but still lose, so for even more than 2.10 I would go for ‘Piast and over 2.5 goals’, at 3.25, or, risking even more, 4.33, betting on Piast to win the game with both teams scoring.
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