Poland Vs. Czech Republic

Warsaw: The UEFA Euro 2012 group stages turn over for the final round of group games; this one comes from a wide open Group A as Poland coming off another draw take on a Czech side in Wroclaw, Poland that picked up a vital win over Greece.

Czech Republic comes into this match off a huge 2-1 victory over Greece in a must win match that keeps their hopes of making the knockout stages alive, goals from VfL Wolfsburg duo Petr Jiráček and Václav Pilař has given the Czechs a real chance and the upper hand in this match after looking doomed following their 4-1 loss to Russia. Coach Michal Bilak will be very happy in this situation, knowing they likely only need a point from this match to advance knowing that Greece need to win against a Russian side all but assured top of the group. Although both Jiráček and Pilař were the goal scorers key to their victory and in this upcoming match are the midfield pairing of Jaroslav Plašil and Tomáš Hübschman, these two players provide the protection in front of a fairly weak back four while allowing captain Tomas Rosicky to join the attack and help loan forward Milan Barros.

As for Poland, they have managed to come from behind yet again earning a 1-1 draw against Russia. This match shapes up as a must win in order for the Poles to advance, with Russia odds on favorites to win the group and the Czechs a point ahead in the standings it looks like only a win will do. Coach Franciszek Smuda and his squad will have likely taken this situation if it was handed to them before the tournament, playing in front of their own home supporters with a chance at advancing. Other than the Borussia Dortmund trio of Robert Lewandowski, Jakub Blaszczkowski and Lukasz Piszczek the key players for this match are goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny who will be returning from suspension, defender Damien Perquis and midfielder Ludovic Obraniak, getting Szczęsny back between the posts is crucial for this match given how massive stakes.

I like Poland in a match they need to win, before the tournament began the overwhelming thought by most including myself was this would be a boring group but it has been quite enjoyable. The Czechs played much better from an attacking perspective but their defense is poor, I think Poland will rise to the occasion and use the massive home support to secure all three points.

BDST: 1653 HRS, June 15, 2012
Edited by
Chanchal Ghosh, Newsroom Editor