Poland
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| HOW THEY QUALIFIED |
As one of the two host nations, Poland automatically qualified for Euro 2012.
| RECENT RESULTS | TOP SCORERS IN 2011 & 2012 |
| Mar 25, 2011: Lithuania 2-0 Poland Mar 29, 2011: Greece 0-0 Poland Jun 5, 2011: Poland 2-1 Argentina Jun 9, 2011: Poland 0-1 France Aug 10, 2011: Poland 1-0 Georgia Sep 2, 2011: Poland 1-1 Mexico Sep 6, 2011: Poland 2-2 Germany Oct 7, 2011: South Korea 2-2 Poland Oct 11, 2011: Belarus 0-2 Poland Nov 11, 2011: Poland 0-2 Italy Nov 15, 2011: Poland 2-1 Hungary Dec 16, 2011: Poland 1-0 BiH Feb 29, 2012: Poland 0-0 Portugal May 22, 2012: Poland 1-0 Latvia May 26, 2012: Poland 1-0 Slovakia |
 4 - Jakub Blaszczykowski 3 - Robert Lewandowski, Pawel Brozek 1 - Adrian Mierzejewski, Damien Perquis, Artur Sobiech, Waldemar Sobota |
Preparation for Euro 2012 has been a mixed bag for Poland, who have played in several stadia across the country ahead of the tournament next summer.
Franciszek Smuda's side have only lost two of their last 10 games, to reputable opponents Italy and France, both of whom fielded strong sides.
Poland also managed to shock Argentina and would have secured a victory over one of the pre-tournament favourites Germany had it not been for a stoppage time Cacau strike.
There have been some blots on Poland's copybook though, the 2-0 defeat at the hands of Lithuania sticking out as a low point in an otherwise decent run of results.
| PAST RECORD IN THE EUROS |
| 1960 |
Did not qualify |
1988 |
Did not qualify |
| 1964 |
Did not qualify |
1992 |
Did not qualify |
| 1968 |
Did not qualify |
1996 |
Did not qualify |
| 1972 |
Did not qualify |
2000 |
Did not qualify |
| 1976 |
Did not qualify | 2004 |
Did not qualify |
| 1980 |
Did not qualify | 2008 |
Group stage |
| 1984 |
Did not qualify | 2012 |
Qualified as host nation |
Despite competing in six World Cups, Poland have only once before qualified for the European Championships.
This year's co-hosts failed to go beyond the group stages at Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, despite topping their group in qualifying.
The Poles failed to win any of their three Group B games, suffering defeats to Germany and Croatia, and drawing with Austria, meaning they finished bottom on goal difference with one of the worst records in the tournament.
As one of the hosts of Euro 2012, Poland will perhaps fancy their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages, a feat which both Austria and Switzerland failed to achieve four years ago.
| THE MANAGER | FRANCISZEK SMUDA |
A former defender who spent the majority of his career playing in Poland and the USA, Smuda replaced Leo Beenhakker in October 2009 after the Dutchman failed to guide the team into the 2010 World Cup.
Smuda has a wealth of managerial experience, having coached in Germany and Turkey before returning to his homeland with Widzew Lodz.
The club won back to back league championships under Smuda, who would secure a further title with Wisla Krakow in 1999.
The 63-year-old won the Polish Cup with Lech Poznan and joined Zaglebie Lubin in August 2009, only to become national team coach just weeks later.
| THE CAPTAIN | JAKUB BLASZCZYKOWSKI |
Part of the Bundesliga-winning Borussia Dortmund side for the past two seasons, Blaszczykowski has made well over 100 appearances for the club since joining them in 2007.
Having earned 50 caps for his country, Blaszczykowski was given the captain's armband in November 2010 by Smuda and was named the Polish Footballer of the Year the same year, having previously been handed the same honour in 2008.
A hamstring injury ruled the midfielder out of Euro 2008, so the winger will surely be desperate to make an impact at the tournament in his home country.
| THE STAR PLAYER | ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI |
Another of the players from Dortmund's title winning side in 2010-11 and 2011-12, Lewandowski built on his eight goals from the previous Bundesliga season by adding an impressive 22 strikes to his name in this campaign.
At 23, the striker is one of the youngest players in Poland's Euro 2012 squad, but already has 40 caps and 13 goals for his country and is likely to become one of Poland's all-time top scorers in the near future.
If Lewandowski can carry his good form into the European Championship, the co-hosts will have some real firepower at their disposal in the tournament.
| THE EMERGING TALENT | WOJCIECH SZCZESNY |
Having leapfrogged compatriot Lukasz Fabianski for the No.1 shirt at Arsenal, Szczesny is now a certainty to start between the sticks at Euro 2012, especially since Fabianski has since been ruled out through injury.
Being his country's first-choice shot stopper at the young age of 22 stands Szczesny in good stead to become one of the leading talents in his position for several years to come as goalkeepers are largely considered to have reached their peak as they approach their 30s.
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Matches
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| FR | Poland - Liechtenstein | 04/06/2013 19:00 BST |
| WCQE | Moldova - Poland | 07/06/2013 01:00 BST |
| FR | Poland - Denmark | 14/08/2013 01:00 BST |
| WCQE | Poland - Montenegro | 06/09/2013 01:00 BST |
| WCQE | San Marino - Poland | 10/09/2013 01:00 BST |
| WCQE | Ukraine - Poland | 11/10/2013 01:00 BST |
| WCQE | England - Poland | 15/10/2013 01:00 BST |
Active Tournaments
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Robert Lewandowski
Striker Borussia Dortmund |
3 | 2 |
|
Jakub Blaszczykowski
Midfielder Borussia Dortmund |
3 | 2 |
|
L. Teodorczyk
Striker |
3 | 0 |
|
Lukasz Piszczek
Defender Borussia Dortmund |
2 | 0 |
|
Jakub Wawrzyniak
Defender Legia Warsaw |
1 | 0 |
