What: Euro 2012 Group A
Who: Poland vs Greece
When: Friday 8th June, 2012, at 17:00 UK Time
Where: National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland
Poland Full of Confidence Ahead of Euro 2012 Bow
The co-hosts come into this game full of confidence following an impressive run of form, having won their three pre-Euro 2012 friendly games without conceding a goal – setting a national record in the process. In fact, Poland have not let a goal in since November 2011 in a friendly against Hungary, and their last defeat was only a few days before that game when they faced Italy. Poland have some of Europe’s best young prospects in goalkeeper Wojciech Sczcesny, defender Lukasz Piczczek and forward Robert Lewandowski. And the country’s key men are all in great form too, particularly Lewandowski, who is possibly Europe’s most lethal striker right now.
Poland will also be buoyed by the stat that they have won 10 of their 15 previous encounters with the Greeks, though the last time the two sides met competitively, in 1987, it was Greece who came out on top. For Poland, how much will their preparation be affected by their lack of a competitive game since a 1-0 home loss to Slovakia in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup? They also drew one and lost two on their Euro debut in 2008.
Captain Jakub Blaszczykowski has said that the opening game will be like “a small final for us. We have played in championships a couple of times and lost the first game.
“It means you don’t have your destiny completely in your own hands any more. We have to remember that, and make sure it doesn’t happen,” he warned.
Poland’s preparations have been marred though by reports of a split caused by the introduction of foreign-born players into Franciszek Smuda’s squad. French-born duo Damien Perquis and Ludovic Obraniak dismissed those reports, and Poland have after all lost the likes of Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski to Germany, so it can be argued that Smuda is just balancing things out.
Can Greece Spoil Another Euro Party?
In 2004 Greece trampled all over the party put on by the hosts Portugal, upstaging them in the opening game of the tournament with a 2-1 victory. Just a few weeks later they beat the Portuguese again, this time in the final. The Greeks may be hospitable at home. but they care little about making life easy for a European host nation and will look to repeat their feats of eight years ago.
However, it is pertinent to note that the win over Portugal in 2004 was their last Euro finals victory, having lost all three matches in 2008. And since then Greece have changed somewhat, with Fernando Santos taking over from the defensively minded Otto Rehhagel two years’ ago. Now they attack with more style and flair, with wingers Sotiris Ninis and Ioannis Fetfatzidis providing energy and pace down either flank. Yet Greece struggle for goals, and have not scored more than one since a 2-1 win in Tblisi against Georgia during qualifying.
Greece are also in good form, having lost just one of their last 15 games. They have also not been defeated in a competitive game since a 2-0 loss to Argentina at the 2010 World Cup. The Greeks are hard to break down, and have useful experience in their side in the form of Giorgios Karagounis and Kostas Katsouranis. They should be able to ensure that Santos’ men are not fazed by the occasion, and make life difficult for the hosts.
Recent form
Poland:
Poland 4-0 Andorra (02/06; Friendly)
Poland 1-0 Slovakia (26/05; Friendly)
Poland 1-0 Latvia (22/05; Friendly)
Greece:
Armenia 0-1 Greece (31/05; Friendly)
Greece 1-1 Slovenia (26/05; Friendly)
Greece 1-1 Belgium (29/02; Friendly)
Players to watch
Poland – Ludovic Obraniak: One of the less celebrated of Poland’s stars plying his trade abroad, Obraniak is a technical and creative midfielder whose ability to carve open the Greek defence will be key for his country – and he can also chip in with a few goals of his own too. The 27-year-old has enjoyed a new lease of life since signing for Bordeaux midway through the season from 2011 French champions Lille. He only qualifies to play for Poland through his grandfather, and even appeared in a friendly game for the France Under-21 team. And just a month after being cleared to play for Poland, he made his debut, scoring the only two goals of the game to help his adopted country to an impressive win. The opposition? Greece.
Greece – Sotiris Ninis: The tricky winger is one of Greece’s brightest young talents, and will join Parma after Euro 2012. Fernando Santos will be confident his defence and midfield are capable of repelling the Polish attacks, but how much of a threat they can pose on the break, as well as their ability to hold onto the ball, could be the crucial factor to whether the 2004 winners get anything out of this match. For that reason, Greece need Ninis to show Europe what has made him such an exciting prospect.
Match Prediction
This should be a good game between two sides with the technical skill and attacking intent to make a spectacle of the opening game of Euro 2012. However, the first match of a major tournament is so often a draw, and there is bound to be an element of caginess in this one. Greece will know that a point would be a good start to their campaign, whilst Poland will want to ensure home enthusiasm is not dampened by an opening game defeat.
Poland have the ability to create and with the likes of Blaszczykowski and Obraniak supplying Lewandowski, should have enough to pierce the Greek defence. But a lack of competitive action for Poland could mean they are not at their sharpest; and coach Smuda has not even managed the side in a meaningful fixture yet. Then consider that three of Greece’s last five matches have been 1-1. Santos’s side are capable of frustrating the opposition with a combination of good defending and slick possession football. Without a cutting edge though, and with the opening game of a tournament notorious for springing such a result, expect yet another 1-1.
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