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Football: Poland boss names provisional squad for Euro 2020

18.05.2021 07:45
The Poland football manager has released an initial list of 26 players called up for the upcoming European championships.
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Image: laczynaspilka.pl

The lineup announced by Paulo Sousa includes star striker Robert Lewandowski, who in December won FIFA’s 2020 Best Men’s Player award and leads a ranking of thtop scorers in Europe's biggest football leagues this season.

Robert Lewandowski (right) in action during a German Bundesliga match between his Bayern Munich side and SC Freiburg on Saturday, May 15, 2021. Robert Lewandowski (right) in action during a German Bundesliga match between his Bayern Munich side and SC Freiburg on Saturday, May 15, 2021. Photo: EPA/Matthias Hangst

The provisional squad named by Sousa includes well-known faces such as Napoli midfielder Piotr Zieliński and Marseille striker Arkadiusz Milik.

Young guns include Pogoń Szczecin midfielder Kacper Kozłowski, a 17-year-old who has been hailed as "the talent of the century" and drawn interest from clubs such as Manchester United.

Another fresh face is Barnsley defender Michał Helik.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Radosław Majecki, the 27th name on the list, has been called up only for the team's training camp in the western Polish town of Opalenica from May 24 to June 8.

The Poland boss has also named four standby players, among them West Bromwich Albion winger Kamil Grosicki, who was until recently a key member of the national team.

Injured striker Krzysztof Piątek was left out after fracturing his ankle last week with his German club Hertha Berlin.

Sousa is expected to announce the final squad by June 1.

Image: Image: laczynaspilka.pl

The Polish team will in June face Slovakia, Spain and Sweden in the group stage of this year's European championships, a tournament rescheduled from last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Poland are scheduled to open their Euro group-stage campaign with a fixture against Slovakia at Krestovsky Stadium in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on June 14.

The Poles will next take on Spain at Estadio La Cartuja in Sevilla on June 19 and then play Sweden in St. Petersburg four days later.

Ahead of the European tournament, Poland will play two friendlies on home turf at the start of next month, taking on Russia in Wrocław on June 1 and then Iceland in Poznań on June 8.

Sousa, 50, a Portuguese soccer manager and a former professional player, was in January named as the new manager of the Polish national football team to replace Jerzy Brzęczek.

Paulo Sousa Paulo Sousa. Photo: PAP/Piotr Nowak 

The Polish team in 2019 celebrated advancing to the European tournament for the fourth time after a successful qualifying campaign.

Poland made it through to the quarterfinals of the Euro 2016 championships in France, losing to Portugal on penalties.

Here is the full provisional Poland squad for Euro 2020:

Goalkeepers:

Łukasz Fabiański (West Ham United)

Łukasz Skorupski (Bologna)

Wojciech Szczęsny (Juventus)

Radosław Majecki (AS Monaco) -- called up for training camp

Defenders:

Jan Bednarek (Southampton)

Bartosz Bereszyński (Sampdoria)

Paweł Dawidowicz (Hellas Verona)

Kamil Glik (Benevento Calcio)

Michał Helik (Barnsley)

Tomasz Kędziora (Dynamo Kyiv)

Kamil Piątkowski (Raków Częstochowa)

Tymoteusz Puchacz (Lech Poznań)

Maciej Rybus (Lokomotiv Moscow)

Sebastian Walukiewicz (Cagliari Calcio)

Midfielders:

Przemysław Frankowski (Chicago Fire)

Kamil Jóźwiak (Derby County)

Bartosz Kapustka (Legia Warsaw)

Mateusz Klich (Leeds United)

Kacper Kozłowski (Pogoń Szczecin)

Grzegorz Krychowiak (Lokomotiv Moscow)

Karol Linetty (Torino)

Jakub Moder (Brighton & Hove Albion)

Przemysław Płacheta (Norwich City)

Piotr Zieliński (Napoli)

Forwards:

Dawid Kownacki (Fortuna Düsseldorf)

Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

Arkadiusz Milik (Olympique de Marseille)

Karol Świderski (PAOK Salonika)

Jakub Świerczok (Piast Gliwice)

Reserves:

Rafał Augustyniak (Ural Yekaterinburg)

Kamil Grosicki (West Bromwich Albion)

Robert Gumny (FC Augsburg)

Sebastian Szymański (Dynamo Moscow)


(gs/pk)

Source: PAP, pzpn.pl

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