Poland's Euro Schedule
| Date | Fixture | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14th June 5pm | Poland v Slovakia | St Petersburg |
| 19th June 8pm | Spain v Poland | Seville |
| 23rd June 5pm | Sweden v Poland | St Petersburg |
Road to the Euros
An unexpected 2-0 defeat in Slovenia was the only blemish during an impressive qualifying campaign that saw Poland win eight and draw the other one to finish six points clear at the top of the group. Confronted with Austria, Slovenia, Israel, Latvia and North Macedonia, Poland made short shrift of them all, and while they only scored 18 goals in their ten games, they conceded just five (four of which were scored by Slovenia), including seven clean sheets.
Current form
Poland had things less their own way in last year's Nations League campaign, where they did beat Bosnia-Herzegovina home and away, but only managed to pick up one point from their four games against Italy and the Netherlands. Their three World Cup qualifiers in March produced just a solitary 3-0 success against lowly Andorra in between a comeback 3-3 draw with Hungary and a narrow 2-1 reversal in England. Their Euro preparations consisted of two draws,1-1 draw against Russia and 2-2 with Iceland last time out, leaving the jury out regarding whether Poland have enough quality to go deep into the tournament.
Squad assessment
Poland like to crowd the midfield to condense the play in the middle of the park and deny their opponents the space to threaten their defensive third. We can expect the triumvirate of Zielinski, Kyrchowiak and Klich to be in the thick of things, both in breaking up opposition attacks and in pulling Poland's own creative strings, with Zielinski given the most licence to push forward to support the front line. It would be a major surprise if Arkaudiusz Milik does not make the first starting line-up alongside Robert Lewandowski, although Kryzstof Piatek will be waiting in the wings for his chance.
Key players
Poland's line-up is filled with many unsung heroes, but only one star name stands out, and there are no prizes for guessing that that name is Robert Lewandowski. He only made 29 starts in Bayern Munich's Bundesliga title-winning season, but still broke Gerd Muller's long-standing record with a mammoth 41-goal tally. An international record of 66 goals from 118 caps further confirms his pedigree on the biggest stage. His record speaks for itself, but he was not given the chance to deliver at the 2018 World Cup, and once again his success in front of goal at the Euros will depend on his team-mates ability to supply him with the right service in the right areas.
Click below to read more about each of Poland's Group E opponents: