Hoping to bounce back after a dismal showing at the 2018 World Cup, Poland will rely on talisman Robert Lewandowski to lead them to glory at Euro 2020.
Carrying a mix of youth and experience (midfielder Kacper Kozłowski is the youngest player at the tournament), Poland will be hopeful of progression from an open looking Group E.
Group E: Spain, Sweden, POLAND, Slovakia
Captain: Robert Lewandowski
Head Coach: Paulo Sousa
FIFA Ranking: 21
Best Finish: Round of 16 – 2016
Fixtures:
POLAND v Slovakia – 14 June, 17:00 (BST). Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Spain v POLAND – 19 June, 20:00 (BST). La Cartuja, Seville, Spain
Sweden v POLAND – 23 June, 17:00 (BST). Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Qualification
Poland topped qualification Group G with ease to seal an automatic place at Euro 2020. The White and Reds won 25 of a possible 30 points, only drawing with Austria and losing in Slovenia. Spearheaded by the timeless Robert Lewandowski – who finished with six goals – Poland qualified with two games to spare.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Łukasz Fabiański (West Ham), Łukasz Skorupski (Bologna), Wojciech Szczęsny (Juventus)
Defenders: Jan Bednarek (Southampton), Bartosz Bereszyński (Sampdoria), Kamil Glik (Benevento), Michał Helik (Barnsley), Tomasz Kędziora (Dynamo Kyiv), Kamil Piątkowski (Raków Częstochowa), Tymoteusz Puchacz (Lech Poznań), Maciej Rybus (Lokomotiv Moskva)
Midfielders: Paweł Dawidowicz (Verona), Przemysław Frankowski (Chicago Fire), Kamil Jóźwiak (Derby), Mateusz Klich (Leeds), Kacper Kozłowski (Pogoń Szczecin), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Lokomotiv Moskva), Karol Linetty (Torino), Jakub Moder (Brighton), Przemysław Płacheta (Norwich), Piotr Zieliński (Napoli)
Forwards: Dawid Kownacki (Fortuna Düsseldorf), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern), Karol Świderski (PAOK), Jakub Świerczok (Piast Gliwice)
Source: UEFA.com
Danger Man – Robert Lewandowski
Would he get into every other country’s team? That’s a debate for another day, but what isn’t up for discussion is that Robert Lewandowski is among the best strikers in the world.
Fresh from breaking the Bundesliga’s record for goals in a single season, Lewandowski will hope to continue that momentum and improve on his record of two goals in four major tournaments with Poland.
One to Watch – Jakub Moder
Scorer of Poland’s goal in the 2-1 World Cup qualifying defeat to England in March, Brighton’s Jakub Moder has enjoyed a hugely successful 2020/21 season.
The 22-year-old broke into the Polish national team last year and was recalled to the Seagulls at the end of December following impressive performances for Lech Poznan. Now a regular for club and country, Moder will be hoping to kick on in his first international tournament.
Premier League Representation
Four members of Poland’s 26-man squad appeared in the Premier League in 2020/21; Jan Bednarek, Jakub Moder, Lukasz Fabianski and Mateusz Klich. Przemysław Płacheta will feature in the top flight next season after earning promotion with Norwich City, while Wojciech Szczęsny enjoyed several years in the Premier League with Arsenal.
Route to the Final
- If Poland top the group, they will play the team who finish third in Group A, B, C or D.
- If Poland finish second, they will face the team who finish second in Group D (England, Croatia, Scotland, Czech Republic)
- If they finish as one of the four best third place teams, they will play the winner of either Group B or C.
After the second round, the draw will depend on which third place teams qualified for the knockout stages.
Stats
- Mateusz Klich (4) and Jan Bednarek (3) are the top scoring Polish players in Premier League history.
- Historically, Poland have a losing record against all three of their Group E opponents.
- Of players at Euro 2020, only Cristiano Ronaldo (104) has scored more international goals than Robert Lewandowski.
