On Saturday, the Polish national team lost 1-3 to Portugal in the Nations League, with Piotr Zieliński scoring the only goal for the White and Reds. This result significantly reduced Poland's chances of advancing to the quarterfinal playoffs of the Nations League. On Tuesday, Poland faced Croatia at the National Stadium. A loss to Croatia would mean that Michał Probierz's team could be more focused on fighting for survival in the top division of the competition rather than aiming for the playoffs.
"On Tuesday in Warsaw, we must play differently, better. You can expect us to play in our style. There will be no calculations on our part; we are only interested in winning. Besides, we don't know how to play any other way. On Saturday against Scotland, we defended for the last 10 minutes, and it didn't work out well for us. Regardless of the opponent or the stadium, we have to be ourselves," said Zlatko Dalić, Croatia's head coach, during the pre-match press conference.
There were several changes in Poland's lineup for the match against Croatia, some of which were forced. Jakub Kiwior replaced the injured Sebastian Walukiewicz, while Karol Świderski replaced Robert Lewandowski as the lone striker. Just behind him, Kacper Urbański played as the attacking midfielder.
Probierz Explains Lewandowski’s Absence: "A Joint Decision"
Probierz spoke with TVP Sport before the match against Croatia. The coach explained why Lewandowski was missing from the starting lineup. "As for infections, there are none in the team. We were aware that this could happen, which is why we considered calling someone else. But we knew we didn’t want to bring in someone just for the sake of it. Robert has a slight injury, and we are glad that the other players are healthy," he said.
New updates on the matter were provided by Tomasz Włodarczyk on the "Meczyki" channel on YouTube. "It was a joint decision between the coach and the captain. It involves managing Lewandowski's energy levels," we read on the X portal.
