In this article…
Introduction
Poland will be cursing their misfortune having been drawn in Group D alongside France, Netherlands and Austria – ranking them as extreme outsiders to progress to the knockout stages.
It’s a group with a plethora of dangerous attacking talent, although Poland’s strength lies in their defence – which could be the antidote to deal with such a threat.
Wojciech Szczesny will be an incredibly key component to the Poland system, who might employ similar tactics to that used at World Cup 2022. They managed to steal a knockout spot having kept two clean sheets against Mexico and Saudi Arabia. They won’t like to be reminded of what happened next though – a 3-1 elimination at the hands of France.
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🔮 Euro 2024 predictions
Tournament Prediction: Group Stage exit
You can back Poland to finish bottom of Group D @ 1.83 on Paddy Power.
Qualification to the knockout rounds might not seem the most realistic expectation, although the Poles might find confidence from their performance at World Cup 2022. They managed to escape through Group C alongside Argentina, despite finishing level on points with Mexico.
As with their progression from the World Cup group stages, Poland were perhaps fortunate to qualify for Euro 2024, and now find themselves in the ‘Group of Death’ alongside France, Netherlands and Austria. It’s difficult to imagine where the points come from.
A lot more good fortune is necessary if Poland stands any chance of qualification this time around.
Poland Euro 2024 Qualifying Data
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📖 How they qualified
Poland finished 3rd in Group E of the qualifiers with a record of three wins, two draws and three losses against a group of Albania, Czech Republic, Moldova and Faroe Islands. They were able to scrape through the playoffs, having beaten Wales on penalties in the final. In that game, Wojciech Szczesny was the hero, having denied Daniel James from the spot to secure a Euros spot for his nation.
It was a largely unconvincing qualifying run and two of Polands’ three wins came against the Faroe Islands. Against Wales in the playoff final, Poland failed to register a shot on target in 120 minutes of gametime. Robert Lewandowski was able to convert his penalty, but that was about the only chance he got to score – the 35-year-old was completely starved of any service.
Having missed that game against Wales, Aston Villa wingback Matty Cash is fit and available for selection, which might help in providing chances up the pitch.
👕 Players to watch
This could potentially be the final appearance at a major international tournament for 35-year-old Robert Lewandowski, although the veteran hasn’t slowed his scoring rate too much. For Barcelona, he has scored 17 goals in 31 league games, although has been on a steady decline since his peak in the 2020/21 season for Bayern Munich. He scored 41 goals in just 29 Bundesliga games that season.
In midfield, Piotr Zielinski will have the role of creating chances for veteran striker Lewandowski. The Napoli midfielder created two assists in the qualifiers, and was pivotal for their success. Having started in nine out of the ten qualifying games, Zielinski averaged the most key passes per 90 minutes (2.39), and the most progressive passes (13.42%), aided by being on set-piece duties.
Sebastian Szymanski was the only midfielder to start more often. Matty Cash started just four games owing to an injury, although his runs down the right flank will be equally important for Poland’s chance creation.
On the defensive front, Jakub Kiwior started all ten qualifying games. In the absence of Jurrien Timber, Kiwior managed a solid run of games under Arteta, although has fallen in the pecking order below Tomiyasu and Zinchenko. The 24-year-old enjoyed success in a defensive trio for Poland, alongside former Premier League man Jan Bednarek. With an even mix of youth and experience, Poland will lead on defensive solidity for results.
* All odds displayed correctly at the time of publishing *
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