HAMBURG, Germany (Reuters) – Underdogs Poland put on a brave face ahead of Sunday’s opening Euro 2024 clash with the Netherlands, insisting that victory was possible despite the absence of prolific striker Robert Lewandowski and a poor qualifying campaign.
The 35-year-old, who has scored 82 goals in 150 internationals, misses out with a hamstring injury but will be on the bench and is in contention for Poland’s other Group D games versus Austria and France.
“It is a great pity Robert Lewandowski cannot help us in this match,” said midfielder and replacement captain Piotr Zielinski on Saturday after a training session at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion where the game takes place at 3 p.m. (1400 GMT).
“He is a world-class player and we will miss him. But whether it is me or the team mates, we will add something extra to achieve the goal, which is to win.”
Coach Michal Probierz said his third game without Lewandowski was an opportunity for other players to shine during a generational shift which is underway in the Polish squad.
“There’s nothing to hide, we will miss him. But other players will have to do what they can to get a result. I hope he will have other opportunities to play,” he said.
Poland, who only scraped into the tournament via penalties in a playoff with Wales, are also missing striker Karol Swiderski due to an ankle injury.
‘WRITING US OFF’
“We have to change this team generationally. We will do whatever we have to do as a team to play well. We will not step back, we will progress,” Probierz said.
“Everyone is saying we are going to lose, everyone is writing us off. But we have a team that wants to fight for each other.”
The Netherlands have their own injury problems, with playmaker Frenkie de Jong ruled out of the tournament, but they are heavy favourites to defeat Poland.
“The Dutch team is a well-known brand in European football, it’s a great national team, high in the FIFA ranking, but I don’t think the ranking will play such a role tomorrow,” Zielinski said.
“The qualifications were not exactly what we would have expected. The most important thing is that we are here and we will do whatever we can.”
Poland should be roared on by a large contingent of fans both from their large diaspora inside Germany and the many who have crossed the border, some on special fan trains.
(Reporting by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Ed Osmond)
