World Friendly International Match

Poland vs Germany - Match Preview

⚽ 16 June 2023 - 18:45 GMT +0

Despite guiding Poland to their first Round of 16 appearances at the FIFA World Cup since 1986 in Qatar, coach Czeslaw Michniewicz was replaced by Fernando Santos in January. The former Portugal boss has had a mixed record in the two matches played thus far in this UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign (W1, L1), both against lower-ranked nations, and this friendly match against Germany now presents an opportunity to evaluate Poland's performance against teams currently ranked in FIFA's top 15.

The Polish team have, however, struggled against elite opponents, as their last such victory dates all the way back to 2014, when they defeated none other than Germany 2-0 here at the PGE Narodowy stadium. A hard-fought encounter is expected nevertheless, as three of Poland’s last four friendly matches have ended in a draw (W1), as well as the previous two friendlies between these two nations (D2).

Visiting Germany, the host country of Euro 2024, failed to inspire confidence in their 1000th official match, as two late strikes saved them from an embarrassing friendly loss at Weserstadion against Ukraine (3-3). This result cannot be dismissed as a blip, considering it occurred less than three months after their 3-2 defeat against Belgium in Cologne, their first loss to the Red Devils since September 1954!

Having experienced early exits in the group stage of the previous two World Cups, German fans will undoubtedly demand more than just reaching the Round of 16 in the next European Championship, as they did in 2021. With increasing pressure on manager Hansi Flick, an away game provides a significant opportunity for Germany, as they’re unbeaten in their last nine international matches on the road (W5, D4), although four of the last five ended in draws.

📋 Players to watch: Karol Świderski, the sole goal scorer in Poland's recent match against Albania, has also been his team’s first scorer in two of his last four matches with Charlotte in the MLS. Contrastingly, Kai Havertz has scored his last five goals for Germany after the hour mark.

⚡ Hot streak: Poland is on a run of eight consecutive home games without a draw (W5, L3).