Euro 2012 team guide and squad: Poland

POLAND have only once qualified for the European Championships, in 2008, having enjoyed a marginally better - if still poor - record in the World Cup. Qualified as co-hosts along with the Ukraine, and are the lowest-ranked team at the finals.

Having never won a game at the Euro Championships, the Biało-czerwoni will be hoping to change that on their home turf this summer.

After the performance of some of their players during the past season with their respective club teams, many have tipped Poland to exceed expectations at Euro 2012, with key men such as Jakub Błaszczykowski of Borussia Dortmund and Damien Perquis of FC Sochaux-Montbéliard expected to shine. That said, it’s hard to see them seeing off Russia or the Czech Republic who, whilst not the forces they once were, still retain enough power to see off lesser teams.

KEY PLAYER: No debate here - Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski is the man the Poles will be hanging their hopes on. Only 23, he made his international debut at the tender age of 20, scoring against San Marino in September 2008. 15 goals in 43 games for the national side, along with 30 goals in 67 for Dortmund suggest that ‘Lewy’ might help Poland punch above their weight.

ODDS: 33/1

WORLD RANKING: 65

GROUP A

FIXTURES

June 8, 2012 Greece (Warsaw, Pol)

June 12, 2012 Russia (Warsaw, Pol)

June 16, 2012 Czech Republic (Wroclaw, Pol)

THE COACH: Franciszek Smuda has managed a whopping 18 teams since entering management in 1983. A short and relatively forgettable playing career saw him spend the latter part of his career in America and Germany, going onto manage the last team he played for, VfR Coburg. Has won three Polish Championships, twice with Widzew Lodz, once with Wisla Kraków, and the Polish Cup with Lech Poznan. Smuda was linked with the national team several times before finally taking up the position in October of 2009.

He said it... “It’s better to have bunga bunga than to abuse alcohol. Alcohol just blows my fuse.”

SQUAD

Goalkeepers

Wojciech Szczęsny (Arsenal FC)

Przemysław Tytoń (PSV Eindhoven)

Grzegorz Sandomierski (KRC Genk).

Defenders

Sebastian Boenisch (SV Werder Bremen)

Marcin Kamiński (KKS Lech Poznań)

Damien Perquis (FC Sochaux-Montbéliard)

Łukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund)

Marcin Wasilewski (RSC Anderlecht)

Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warszawa)

Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (KKS Lech Poznań)

Midfielders

Jakub Błaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund)

Dariusz Dudka (AJ Auxerre)

Kamil Grosicki (Sivasspor)

Adam Matuszczyk (Fortuna Düsseldorf 1895)

Adrian Mierzejewski (Trabzonspor AŞ)

Rafal Murawski (KKS Lech Poznań)

Eugen Polanski (1. FSV Mainz)

Ludovic Obraniak (FC Girondins de Bordeaux)

Maciej Rybus (FC Terek Grozny)

Rafał Wolski (Legia Warszawa).

Forwards

Paweł Brożek (Trabzonspor AŞ)

Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund)

Artur Sobiech (Hannover 96)