Wales’ day of destiny has arrived as Rob Page’s side face Poland for a place at Euro 2024.
The task is simple. Win, and Wales will qualify for a fourth major tournament since 2016 this summer. Lose, and it’s over.
A sea of Welsh and Polish fans are expected to descend on Cardiff throughout the day for this evening’s match, with the game kicking off at 7.45pm at Cardiff City Stadium.
Rob Page has no fresh concerns ahead of this clash, and has a fully-fit squad ahead of this crucial fixture. He is likely to field a similar or identical team to the one that beat Finland in the semi-final last week. One possible consideration would be bringing Aaron Ramsey into the starting XI if he is deemed fit enough.
Poland, meanwhile, were without Juventus striker Arkadiusz Milik against Estonia, who missed out due to a muscle injury, with Karol Swiderski joining Robert Lewandowski in attack instead. Aston Villa full-back Matty Cash is set to miss out after picking up a hamstring injury in that semi-final on Thursday night.
The game kicks off at 7.45pm and you can follow live updates below. It will be shown live on S4C and Viaplay Sports 2
15:41Dylan James
Wales players getting their steps in
A huge night for these players.
15:33Cathy Owen
What time is kick off
Wales take on Poland at Cardiff City Stadium this evening in what is a winner-takes-all clash – here is everything you need to know.
What time is Wales v Poland kick-off?
Wales v Poland takes place on Tuesday, March 26, at Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff. Kick-off is at 7.45pm.
What TV channel is Wales v Poland on?
You can watch the game live on S4C and Viaplay Sports 2. The programme on S4C begins at 7.20pm and 7.35pm on Viaplay.
Wales v Poland live stream details
The match can be streamed on BBC iPlayer and S4C Clic. Viaplay subscribers can access the game via their website and app.
14:16Cathy Owen
Latest match odds
Betfair has released its latest match odds ahead of the game tonight.
Betfair – Wales v Poland
Wales 6/4
Draw 6/4
Poland 9/5
13:26Cathy Owen
It is going to be busy on the roads tonight
The advice is to check before you travel
13:08Cathy Owen
The role for Aaron Ramsey
Having sat out the win over Finland, it remains to be seen whether Aaron Ramsey will see any minutes under the lights in the capital tonight.
Page believes the Cardiff City midfielder will have a role to play regardless of whether he actually sees any minutes.
“He’s [Aaron] been up against experienced players like that,” he added. “That’s where Rambo will step up and be a help for us, with regards to bits of information that he might want to offer to the younger boys.” Read more here.
12:25Cathy Owen
What Rob Page has said
Ahead of the game, he said:
We know they’ve got an abundance of quality. They’ve got a new manager, they’ve had some positive results since. They’re in the play-offs for a reason. They’ve not qualified automatically despite the odds. They would have been favourites to qualify, we’ll take note of that but it’s about the best we can play. If we do that the results can takes of itself.
Lewandowski is a fantastic player, we’ll respect that of course. But it stops there. We’ve done some analysis on him and shown the defenders what he’s capable of doing. They know that, but it’ s about us imposing ourselves on us them. They’ve got some individuals, but collectively as a team we’re more than capable of giving a level of performance to get the job done.”
12:00Cathy Owen
Connor Roberts hails ‘fantastic’ Leeds United team-mate
Connor Roberts says Leeds United team-mate Daniel James can feel hard done by if he doesn’t start tonight’s crunch play-off final clash with Poland given his recent form – but admits he doesn’t envy Rob Page in selecting a starting front three.
James started Thursday’s semi-final win over Finland on the bench, with Page opting for an attacking trio of David Brooks, Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson, all of whom played their part in a crushing 4-1 win at the Cardiff City Stadium. Read what Connor Roberts had to say here.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
