Poland 2020 UEFA Euro Betting
Robert Lewandowski is one of the most talented forwards in the world. Lewandowski has won it all with Bayern Munich, claiming a Champions League title and several Bundesliga crowns. He is closing in on 200 goals despite playing just over 200 games for the German giants, but he has yet to have much success on the international stage with Poland when it really matters. Lewandowski has just two goals in 11 matches over Poland’s last three major tournaments (2012 Euros, 2016 Euros, and 2018 World Cup).
Poland Squad Profile
UEFA Euro Odds: +8000
Coach: Paulo Sousa
FIFA Ranking: 21
Best Finish: Quarterfinals (2016)
Group: E ( Spain, Sweden and Slovakia )
How They Got Here
Poland had the benefit of playing in a relatively easy group during qualifying, and the Poles took full advantage. They went 8-1-1 with the lone blemishes being a home draw against Austria and a road loss to Slovenia. They allowed just five goals in their ten games, as only Slovenia figured out this defense with four of those five tallies.
Team Preview
Lewandowski is the most talented player on the team, and he is the greatest football player in the history of Poland. His 118 caps and 66 goals are both all-time bests for Poland, and he is just 32 years old. Although Lewandowski has yet to find the net often in the biggest games, he is consistently fouled more than any other player in those games. Opposing teams know that Lewandowski is the best weapon on Poland and try to neutralize him.
Some of the younger players on this team have developed over the past few years though, giving Poland hope that Lewandowski won’t be trying to do it all by himself up top.
Arkadiusz Milik has become a solid secondary striker, and he has stood out during his time at Ajax, Napoli, and Marseille. Krzysztof Piatek is a solid option up top too, so Poland might open it up more than we have seen in the past.
There are a few talented players in the midfield. Kamil Grosicki has 17 goals for Poland in his career, and he was one of the few real weapons on the attack for Hull City. Piotr Zielinksi has been a mainstay in Napoli’s midfield over the last five years, and there is a lot of buzz about youngster Sebastian Syzmanski. Syzmanski showed a lot of promise as part of the youth teams, and he has become a contributor for Dynamo Moscow.
Kamil Glik is the lynchpin of the defense with 82 caps, and Maciej Rybus isn’t that far behind. Jan Bednarek and Bartosz Bereszynski are likely to round out the starting four in the back, but we could see Arkadiusz Reca take a starting spot.
It’s a shame that Poland can’t use two goalkeepers, because they have two of the best in the business. Wojciech Szczesny is the first-choice goalkeeper and became the man to replace the immortal Gianluigi Buffon at Juventus, but Poland also has West Ham’s Lukasz Fabianski. They will ensure that Poland does not allow any soft goals.
Poland Schedule
GROUP STAGE
Monday June 14
Poland vs. Slovakia (Dublin; noon ET, 6 p.m.)
Saturday June 19
Spain vs. Poland (Bilbao; 3 p.m. ET, 9 p.m.)
Wednesday June 23
Sweden vs. Poland (Dublin; noon ET, 6 p.m.)
Poland’s History at the European Championships
Poland has had a decent amount of success at the World Cup. The country finished in third place in both the 1974 World Cup and the 1982 World Cup, and Poland’s run to the semifinals in 1974 was impressive. They beat Argentina, Italy, and Haiti to win their group, but a 1-0 loss to hosts Germany kept them from winning the World Cup.
The White and Reds didn’t qualify for their first European Championship until 2008. Poland was bounced in the Group Stage in 2008 and once again in 2012 before breaking through at the last Euros.
We didn’t see Poland lose a game in regulation during the 2016 Euros. They beat Northern Ireland in the opener, and then drew with Germany to ensure they would move on to the knockout rounds. Jakub Blaszczykowski opened the scoring against Switzerland in the Round of 16, but a Xherdan Shaqiri goal in the 82nd minute took the match to penalties after 120 minutes. Poland advanced after making all their penalties, but they couldn’t repeat the feat against Portugal in the quarterfinals. Lewandowski scored in the 2nd minute, but the Portuguese leveled and eventually advanced after slotting home all their spot kicks.
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