Wales welcome Poland to the Cardiff City Stadium in the Nations League on Sunday knowing only a win will do if they want to avoid relegation.

Robert Page's side fell to a 2-1 defeat against Belgium in Brussels on Thursday, with Kevin De Bruyne and Michy Batshuayi grabbing the home side's goals. 

Kieffer Moore pulled one back but it was a consolation effort, leaving Wales with plenty of work to do in Group A4. 

The Dragons are bottom of the table heading into Sunday's game and opponents Poland, who sit third, only need a draw to avoid the drop. 

Team news

Former Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale started Thursday's defeat to Belgium on the bench before coming on in the 64th minute. 

With so much on the line, the Los Angeles FC star may be recalled to the starting side and that would likely mean one of Moore, Daniel James or Brennan Johnson being dropped. 

Chris Mepham and Ethan Ampadu are suspended, with Joe Morrell hoping to return to the midfield. 

Poland boss Czeslaw Michniewicz has no new injuries to contend with and has Szymon Zurkowski back available after he served a one-match suspension against the Netherlands. 

The stats

Wales have lost each of their last five matches against Poland. To put that into context, only against England and the Netherlands do they have a longer losing streak against an opponent. 

Page's side have struggled to maintain the same standards that helped them beat Ukraine 1-0 in June to reach their first World Cup since 1958. 

The Dragons are winless in four, losing three of those fixtures, while at home, they have failed to win their last two at home. 

Poland have also failed to win any of their previous four Nations League matches and their last success came against Wales at the start of June. 

They have not won on the road since November 2021 and the signs suggest both teams could cancel each other out on Sunday night. 

Prediction

Wales know what they have to do to avoid the drop and Page's troops will no doubt feel that they can achieve their goal thanks to their home advantage. 

The Dragons have often shown they can rise to the occasion when cheered on by their passionate supporters but their recent form means there could be doubts within their squad. 

If Bale starts, the Welsh will have a bit more class in the final third. However, it is hard to see them keeping Poland at bay for 90 minutes. 

The Poles have scored in their last 10 away games, so a Wales win and both teams to score seems the sensible bet this weekend. 

Punters should look no further than Robert Lewandowski to score for Poland, with the former Bayern Munich ace in red-hot form. 

He has 11 goals in his previous 10 games for Barcelona, while the 34-year-old has bagged four in seven for the national team.