Euro 2024 team guide and best bets: Poland
Poland have qualified for a fourth straight major tournament but arrive in Germany after a turbulent qualifying campaign which included a change of manager.
We assess their prospects at Euro 2024 in our comprehensive team guide, which features tactical analysis, players to watch out for, predicted line-ups, betting tips and much more.
How Poland qualified for Euro 2024
Poland booked their place at this summer’s tournament by the skin of their teeth after an underwhelming qualification campaign by their usual standards.
A 5-4 penalty shootout win over Wales in the play-offs saw them limp through to the finals having finished a mediocre third in Group E, four points behind automatic qualifiers Albania and the Czech Republic.
A mortifying defeat to Moldova, losing 3-2 having been 2-0 up, put former Portugal boss Fernando Santos under extreme pressure and his time was up three months later after overseeing another tame loss in Albania.
His replacement Michail Probierz did at least steady the ship to the point of securing a place in Germany, though performances did not exactly improve markedly.
Star man Robert Lewandowski still topped the scoring charts, though he will have been disappointed with just a three-goal haul in such a weak pool.
Poland's squad for Euro 2024
Poland announced a 26-man squad ahead of the tournament:
Goalkeepers: Marcin Bulka (Nice), Łukasz Skorupski (Bologna), Wojciech Szczęsny (Juventus)
Defenders: Jan Bednarek (Southampton), Bartosz Bereszyński (Empoli), Przemysław Frankowski (Lens), Jakub Kiwior (Arsenal), Tymoteusz Puchacz (Kaiserslautern), Bartosz Salamon (Lech Poznań), Sebastian Walukiewicz (Empoli)
Midfielders: Paweł Dawidowicz (Hellas Verona), Kamil Grosicki (Pogoń Szczecin), Jakub Moder (Brighton), Jakub Piotrowski (Ludogorets), Taras Romanczuk (Jagiellonia Białystok), Bartosz Slisz (Atlanta United), Damian Szymański (AEK Athens), Sebastian Szymański (Fenerbahçe), Kacper Urbański (Bologna), Nicola Zalewski (Roma), Piotr Zieliński (Napoli)
Forwards: Adam Buksa (Antalyaspor), Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona), Krzysztof Piątek (Başakşehir), Michał Skóraś (Club Brugge), Karol Świderski (Hellas Verona)
Poland's predicted starting XI for Euro 2024
Poland's star player — Robert Lewandowski
Still Poland’s leading light, 35 year-old Lewandowski remains one of the finest goalscorers across the continent and arrives in Germany on the back of another impressive season with Barcelona.
Though the Spanish giants struggled for form overall, no blame can be laid at the feet of the Pole, who netted a commendable 25 goals across all competitions.
He will have been left disappointed with his goal return in qualifying, though.
The marksman bagged only three times in eight outings, despite netting a combined 19 times across his two previous European Championship qualifying campaigns.
That poor return meant his side scored just 10 goals in total on their way to securing passage to the tournament, highlighting the significant role Lewandowski must play if they are to somehow prevail from a menacing Group D in Germany.
Poland's one to watch — Nikola Zalewski
Impressive 22-year-old Nikola Zalewski is a product of the AS Roma youth setup and has established himself during a turbulent period for the Italian club over the last three years.
Since making his debut back in May 2021, the versatile operator has gone from strength to strength and has quickly amassed 71 appearances in Roma colours.
Predominantly featuring down the left-hand side, Zalewski is capable of playing in full-back, wing-back, wide midfield and central roles, displaying impressive versatility for a player so early on in their career.
Possessing remarkable vision, the youngster can be a vital supply line for talisman Lewandowski and provides yet another creative cog in a midfield already containing the innovation of Piotr Zielinski and Bartosz Slisz.
Packed with potential, Zalewski was nominated for the prestigious ‘Golden Boy’ award in 2022 and has already featured for his country on 16 occasions, registering six assists in the process.
Poland's manager — Michal Probierz
Probierz was a slightly surprising choice to take over as manager of the senior team in September 2023 after his predecessor Santos was sacked.
The 51 year-old enjoyed a brief stint as manager of the Poland Under-21s, winning five of his ten matches in charge before he was promoted to manager of the senior squad.
Probierz has spent the majority of his career in Polish football, winning the Polish Cup with both Jagiellonia Białystok and Cracovia respectively.
Well thought of in his homeland, he picked up the Polish Coach of the Year award back in 2010, while his overseas experience stretches to a brief stint in Greece with Aris Thessaloniki in 2011-12.
Euro 2024 will be the 51-year-old’s first time managing at a major tournament and he faces a stern test, with his side sharing Group D with France, Netherlands and Austria.
Poland's Euro 2024 betting odds
Poland to win Euro 2024 - 200/1
Poland to reach the Euro 2024 final - 80/1
Poland to qualify from Group D - 6/4
Poland top goalscorer - Robert Lewandowski 8/11, Adam Buksa 13/2, Arkadiusz Milik 8/1, 10/1 BAR
*All best UK prices as of 30/05/24
Analysis and best bets for Poland at Euro 2024
Expert analysis from Odds Now's Bradley Walker:
“Poland scraped through the play-offs to secure a place at this year’s tournament and now find themselves in an incredibly competitive group.
“France and the Netherlands are highly likely to occupy the top two spots, and although four third-placed teams will still prevail to the knockout stages, Austria will be no pushover in a prospective battle for third.
“Given the Poles are highly reliant on veteran forward Robert Lewandowski for goals, it’s hard to envisage Probierz’ men reaching the knockouts unless he rediscovers his clinical best on the international stage.
“Clearly, their match with Austria on June 21 will be vital if they are to stand any chance of progressing. A win may well be enough to leave them as one of the four strongest third-placed sides, but a loss will surely be fatal.
“All things considered, the signs point to an early exit for the tournament regulars being the value.”
Brad’s Best Bets
Poland to score under 3.5 goals - 4/6 (Bet365)
Poland to get zero points - 9/2 (Bet365)