Michał Probierz has picked a slightly younger squad than what he went with at the Euros, with only stalwarts Lewandowski, Zieliński, and Bereszyński being over 30.
The most notable absence is the nation’s long-serving goalkeeper
Wojciech Szczęsny, who announced his retirement from football last week. This has meant that much of the discussion has focused on who should be the keeper’s rightful successor.
Łukasz Skorupski appears to be in pole position, following his man-of-the-match display against France at the Euros and his outstanding season with Bologna last term (conceding only 29 goals in 34 appearances), helping them reach the Champions League. He also has a wealth of experience to draw upon, having clocked 283 Serie-A appearances.
That experience may well count in the 33-year-old’s favor, but Marcin Bułka, who plays for the French club Nice, garnered more headlines last season with his eye-catching penalty-saving exploits and remarkable run of nine consecutive clean sheets in France’s Ligue 1.
Bartłomiej Drągowski is also in contention, but his move outside Europe’s top five leagues, to Greek side Panathinaikos, will likely work against him.
Interestingly, Probierz has suggested that he has not yet made up his mind as to who his number one will be.
“Two different goalkeepers will play against Scotland and Croatia,” he said in Glasgow.
Familiar back three
In defense, the coach seems likely to opt for stability and consistency, which would entail the same back three that played in the latter matches this summer. That would mean starting spots for Jan Bednarek, Paweł Dawidowicz, and Jakub Kiwior.
Although, with Dawidowicz’s suspect injury record, Kamil Piątkowski, who recently qualified for the Champions League proper with RB Salzburg, could push for a place in the starting XI.
In the wing-back spots, Przemysław Frankowski and Nicola Zalewski especially showed their worth at the Euros. That said, both have been struggling for minutes at club level so far this season, which could leave the door open for Jakub Kamiński, who has recently returned to action with Wolfsburg following a lengthy time out injured.
Finding midfield balance
The lineups at this summer’s Euros suggested Probierz was uncertain of his best central midfield combination. Only playmaker Piotr Zieliński is a nailed-on starter. He will be accompanied in the engine room by two of Bartosz Slisz, Jakub Piotrowski, Sebastian Szymański, and Jakub Moder.
Piątek or Urbański?
While getting the balance right in midfield and maintaining possession were a consistent issue at the Euros, Poland’s perennial problem is scoring. Can they create the chances star man Robert Lewandowski craves?
At 36 years old, this Nations League and later World Cup campaign will likely be his last. He has started this season in a rich vein of form for Barcelona, scoring four in their first four fixtures.
It remains to be seen whether Probierz considers poacher Krzysztof Piątek—who is in great form for Basaksehir, with eight goals from the first nine games in Turkey—or the guile of 19-year-old Kacper Urbański as Lewandowski’s best-suited partner at the sharp end of the pitch.
Poland is competing in Nations League A (the top tier) and consequently have some tough fixtures ahead of them. After the match with Scotland (at 20:45 CET) at Hampden Park, they will face Croatia away from home on Sunday, before the daunting task of Portugal on October 12.
