Tonight’s top of the table clash against Poland Women in Belfast will be another “tough test” for Northern Ireland’s senior women’s team.
That’s the view of Northern Ireland boss Tanya Oxtoby, who said that both herself and her players are “really looking forward to” the game against the top seeds in League B Group 1 of the UEFA Women’s Nations League.
Unbeaten Poland currently top B1 with 10 points from four matches, while Northern Ireland are in second place with seven points from their four games to date.
The two countries are set to meet at Seaview this evening (7 o’clock start) in what will be the penultimate game for both teams in the group.
“Poland are a good team, with some great players, so this will be another tough test for the players. However, I am confident they will rise to the occasion,” said Oxtoby.
The Poles, who will be competing at the Women’s Euros in Switzerland this summer, defeated Northern Ireland 2-0 when the teams met in Gdansk at the start of the latest UWNL campaign.
“From our point of view we didn’t show the best of ourselves in the game in Gdansk, so this will be a great challenge for us to see where we get to in terms of our learnings from the first game and how we apply those learnings now,” said the Northern Ireland boss.
And she further pointed out: “They like to be quite direct and exploit spaces in behind, so we need to be really mindful of that tonight and learn from the first game against them.”
Poland have a handful of star names in their ranks, most notably Barcelona striker Ewa Pajor, who could win her 100th cap in north Belfast tonight.
Pajor has been a goal machine at international level. The 28-year-old forward has notched an impressive 65 goals in 99 appearances for the Poles.
Her regular partner up top, Bayern Munich forward Weronika Zawistowska, is no slouch either. The 25-year-old has nine goals in 40 appearances.
Also on the attacking front, Sevilla forward/winger Natalia Padilla-Bidas (22) has netted 12 times in 42 appearances for Poland.
In the middle of the park Fleury 91’s Ewelina Kamczyk (aged 29, 97 caps, 16 goals) and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim’s Dominika Grabowska (aged 26, 85 caps, nine goals) are solid operators along with FC Cologne’s Martyna Wiankowska (aged 28, 90 caps, 11 goals).
And FC Cologne midfielder Adriana Achcińska, who scored against Northern Ireland in Gdansk, is another important cog in the machine. The 23-year-old is closing in on 40 caps and has scored six goals for the senior team so far.
Poland’s backline boasts Paulina Dudek of Paris Saint-Germain. The 27-year-old has 57 caps and has weighed in with seven goals during her international career to date.
AC Milan defender Malgorzata Mesjasz (aged 26, 50 caps, four goals) is another player to watch, while West Ham United goalkeeper Kinga Szemik is the established number one these days. She has played for her country on 26 occasions.
Northern Ireland’s final game in the group is against third-placed Bosnia and Herzegovina in Zenica on Tuesday. The Bosnians currently sit third in B1 with four points, while Romania are propping up the table. They meet in Ovidiu this afternoon.
