Having got past the group stage at the UEFA European Championships just once in four previous attempts, the omens don’t look good for Poland, who are in a formidable-looking Group D for the 2024 tournament alongside Austria, France and upcoming opponents the Netherlands. They ought to be confident of holding their own though, as they are on an eight-game unbeaten run (W6, D2) since Michał Probierz became manager last September.
That sequence includes a nailbiting penalty-shootout win over Wales to reach these finals, and Poland must show the same calm-headedness against the Netherlands, a nation they have failed to defeat in their last 12 H2Hs (D5, L7). Probierz’s squad features a core group of experienced players though – including Wojciech Szczęsny, Kamil Grosicki and Robert Lewandowski – while the youthful exuberance of young stars Nicola Zalewski and Jakub Kiwior marks them out as a potential banana skin.
According to Opta, the Netherlands rank as sixth favourite to lift the Henri Delaunay Trophy, having only previously done so in 1988. However, their preparations for this tournament have been rocked by injuries to influential midfielders Teun Koopmeiners and Frenkie de Jong, who have both been forced to withdraw from the squad, although manager Ronald Koeman has only called up Borussia Dortmund’s Ian Maatsen in their place.
The Oranje have become averse to drawing games in recent years, having either won or lost their last 17 matches (W11, L6), including the 14 encounters that Koeman has overseen since taking over for his second spell in charge in January last year (W9, D5). In addition to the lack of a stalemate, another thing that is almost guaranteed here is late drama, as seven of the Netherlands’ last eight outings have seen at least one goal scored after the 80th minute.
Players to watch: With Lewandowski out of this contest after sustaining a thigh injury against Turkey on Monday, Zalewski, who got the winner in that friendly, might be Poland’s inspiration as he aims to build on the three assists that he registered in the 5-1 thumping of Estonia in March. Memphis Depay was involved in a goal in both of the Netherlands’ 4-0 thrashings of Canada and Iceland earlier this month (G1, A1), and he is now five goals away from equalling the tally of the country’s all-time top men’s scorer, Robin van Persie (50).
Hot stat: The Netherlands have kept six clean sheets in their last seven matches.
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