Preview: Poland vs Slovakia
As Poland, led by the prolific Robert Lewandowski, takes on Slovakia in their UEFA Euro 2020 Group E fixture at Saint Petersburg's Krestovsky Stadium, the stage is set for an exciting clash of tactical styles and emerging talents.
Poland
The Eagles will approach this fixture following a draw, with just one victory in their last six games across all international competitions: LDWLDD. Poland earned a 2-2 draw against Iceland on Tuesday, 8th June, in an international friendly. Before that, they faced Russia in another friendly which ended in a 1-1 draw.
On Monday, attention will be on Polish superstar, Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski. He recently broke the 49-year-old goal record held by the legendary German striker, Gerd Muller, by scoring 41 goals in a single season. The impressive tally helped Bayern Munich secure their 30th Bundesliga title. Lewandowski, Poland’s captain and leading scorer with 66 goals, is a key figure for the team.
Paulo Sousa, who took over as Poland’s coach after Jerzy Brzecek's departure in January, will manage his sixth game. The 50-year-old has experience coaching in England, Italy, and France, with spells at QPR, Swansea, Leicester City, Fiorentina, and Bordeaux. Sousa boasts an overall managerial win rate of 47% and has recorded 1 win, 3 draws, and 1 loss with Poland.
For the White and Reds, Sousa can choose between West Ham’s Lukasz Fabianski and Juve’s Wojciech Szczesny as the goalkeeper. The squad also includes Southampton’s Jan Bednarek, Sampdoria’s Bartosz Bereszynski, and Przemysław Frankowski from Chicago Fire. An attacking 3-4-3 formation is anticipated for Monday's match. Poland will be without Krzysztof Piątek, who missed the selection due to a broken ankle sustained in Hertha BSC's Bundesliga game against Schalke 04.
Slovakia
The Falcons picked up a goalless draw against Austria on June 6th in a friendly match. This result followed a 1-1 draw against Bulgaria in another international friendly, leaving Slovakia with two consecutive draws and a recent record of LDDWDD.
Stefan Tarkovic took charge of Slovakia in October 2020, succeeding Pavel Hapal. The 48-year-old was part of the coaching staff when Slovakia reached the last 16 in UEFA Euro 2016.
Under Tarkovic's guidance, Slovakia has secured victories over Scotland (1-0) and Russia (2-1) in a few matches. On Monday, he will have key players like Newcastle’s Martin Dubravka, Inter’s Milan Skriniar, and Sparta Praha’s Dávid Hancko available for the lineup.
Sassuolo’s Lukas Haraslín and Feyenoord's Róbert Bozeník are also included in the squad. Slovakia’s top scorer, Marek Hamsik of IFK Göteborg, with 26 goals, will be part of the team as well.
Stefan Tarkovic is known for favoring a 4-1-4-1 formation and will likely maintain this setup for his team on Monday.
Team form
Showing the latest five games—giving you a quick look at recent performance trends. Teams in good form tend to do well in the next match.
Team Comparison
Side-by-side assessment of team statistics, including goals, attacks, and more. This allows you to directly compare key performance metrics. Analyzing these stats can reveal patterns and strengths that might influence the outcome.