Poland - New Zealand predictions and free betting tips [28/06/2024]

The national teams of Poland and New Zealand will hold a friendly match as part of their preparation for the Olympic qualification.

Poland

The Poles approach this match with five consecutive defeats. In 2024, the national team has yet to secure a victory, and perhaps the primary factor is the absence of Jeremy Sochan, who is still recovering from an injury. This significantly impacts their play, particularly in rim protection.

The Poles demonstrate weak play inside the paint, regularly losing in this aspect to their opponents. The main issue in their last two matches has been the inability to guard strong big men inside the paint, and this has become a serious problem. However, there are all chances to change the situation in the match against New Zealand, as they face similar issues, and it's about time to end this losing streak.

Poland is terrible in attack, with no support for Ponitka, which affects the entire offence. Moreover, there are defensive issues: on average, they concede 86 points over the last five matches, and it seems the situation will not improve in the upcoming match.

New Zealand

The New Zealand national team is also preparing for the Olympic qualifying tournament. They last participated in the Olympic Games in 2004.

The match on 28 June will be the first encounter between Poland and New Zealand. The teams have never faced each other on the basketball court before. It's worth noting how confidently they passed the Asian qualifiers and the recent match against Finland, where they lost only in the final moments (70-73).

The team managed to score actively in previous matches, even against strong opponents, scoring more than 80 points in 4 consecutive matches. Knowing Poland's defensive issues, a high total from the New Zealanders can also be expected.

Additionally, it is worth mentioning that the team won the first half in 5 of their last 7 matches, whereas Poland lost the first half in 4 of their last 5 matches.

Head-to-head Record

The teams will be playing against each other for the first time in history.

Match Prediction: Poland vs New Zealand

New Zealand is considered the underdog by the bookmakers, but I wouldn't be so sure, seeing what's happening with Poland and their defensive collapses. I would take advantage of this failing defence. The New Zealanders have nothing to lose, unlike the Poles, who are on the brink of a sixth consecutive loss. Therefore, I will bet on a high-scoring game from New Zealand.