Thursday's Nations League predictions: Oranje can pip Poland

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Thursday's matches in the Uefa Nations League.

Best bets

Netherlands to beat Poland
BoxNation, 7.45pm
1pt Evs general

Antoine Griezmann to score in France v Austria
Premier Sports, 7.45pm
1pt 8-5 Betfair, Paddy Power

Preview

Qatar's winter World Cup is approaching over the horizon but there is still much to resolve in the penultimate round of Nations League group matches continuing on Thursday.

It could be a decisive evening in Group A4 in particular with plenty riding on Poland's clash with the Netherlands in Warsaw.

A win for the Poles would secure their survival in League A but if the Dutch win and Belgium fail to get the better of Wales, Louis van Gaal's side will book their place in the finals.

The Netherlands have already beaten Belgium in Brussels and won home and away against Wales, and their only dropped points in the tournament came against Poland in June.

That game finished 2-2 after Poland had established a 2-0 lead but the Dutch arguably deserved to go on and win the contest, dominating the shot count 17-5.

And as the teams reconvene in Warsaw, Poland's defensive fragility will be of concern to head coach Czeslaw Michniewicz, who was recently vocal about Jan Bednarek's lack of game time at Aston Villa and how that could impact the national team.

Having in-form Robert Lewandowski in their ranks obviously helps but Poland have picked up only two wins in their last seven matches and man-for-man they are far inferior to the Dutch.

France will be looking to successfully defend the World Cup when they head to Qatar this winter but their preparations have not been convincing and they are at risk of relegation from League A.

Les Bleus have collected only two points from their four games in Group A1 and they are missing a host of key players for their home fixture with Austria on Thursday.

Hugo Lloris, Lucas Hernandez, N'Golo Kante, Kingsley Coman and Karim Benzema are among those missing for the French, who will desperately want to string together positive results before the start of the World Cup.

In the absence of important players, all eyes will naturally be on Kylian Mbappe to impress at the Stade de France but in the goalscorer markets, Antoine Griezmann could represent the best value.

Griezmann has been used sparingly by Atletico Madrid this season but has still looked sharp off the bench, bagging two La Liga goals, and he has 42 goals from 108 appearances for his country.

Absences mean he could be a starter against Austria and Griezmann is worth a bet to score at any time.

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