Jagiellonia Białystok vs Puszcza Niepołomice prediction and betting tips - July 19, 2024
Dillan George
Dailysports's expert
Translated by the editors
Puszcza Niepolomice
On Friday, July 19, in the opening match of the Ekstraklasa season, Jagiellonia Białystok will play at home against Puszcza Niepołomice. The match will kick off at 18:00 Central European Time. Analysts at Dailysports have prepared a prediction and betting tips for this encounter.
Jagiellonia Białystok
Jagiellonia is the reigning champion of Poland. The previous season was historic for the club from Białystok, as they had never won the national championship before. They finished the Ekstraklasa season with the same number of points as Śląsk Wrocław but topped the league based on additional metrics. As a result, Jagiellonia is not only preparing for the new Ekstraklasa season but also for their debut in the Champions League, where they will face Panevėžys from Lithuania in the second qualifying round.
Of course, Jagiellonia has experienced some squad changes over the summer. Bartłomiej Wdowiak, the team’s main left-back, moved to Braga for €1.5 million, while main goalkeeper Zlatan Alomerović left as a free agent to join AEK Larnaca. To replace Alomerović, Polish keeper Max Stryjek was brought in from Wycombe Wanderers.
Puszcza Niepołomice
Puszcza operates with one of the smallest budgets in the Ekstraklasa, and many predict that they will struggle to stay in the top tier of Polish football. This was also the case last season, but the club from Niepołomice managed to finish in 12th place, just three points clear of the relegation zone. A crucial factor was the 7 points they collected in the final three matches of the season, which helped them escape the relegation battle.
During the summer, Puszcza signed eight new players, with the standout being Ukrainian defender Roman Yakuba from Latvian side Valmiera for a club-record €780,000. Yakuba had a successful loan spell with Puszcza last season. Another promising signing is attacking midfielder Jakov Blagaić, who joined as a free agent and was a key player for Bosnian side Borac Banja Luka.
Interesting Facts and Head-to-Head History
- Last season, Jagiellonia thrashed Puszcza 4:1 at home and drew 3:3 in Niepołomice.
- This will be only the fourth match in history between these teams.
- Puszcza has never beaten Jagiellonia.
Jagiellonia Białystok vs Puszcza Niepołomice prediction
It’s difficult to predict the form of the teams as they head into the new season, but Jagiellonia appears to be the favorite. My bet is on a victory for the home side.
