Adam Nawałka’s Poland will have a chance to ensure their qualification to the knockout stage with a win in their upcoming tie against Ukraine.
Mykhaylo Fomenko’s Ukranian side are yet to get off the mark in the tournament and are one of the few teams that have yet to score a goal.
Poland to be more expressive?
Despite taking four points from their opening two games in the tournament, Poland have yet to display their attacking prowess. They have understandably been cautious and reserved so far but with qualification to the knockout phase just within reach, you can expect Nawałka to allow his players much more attacking freedom.
For a side that scored the most number of goals in qualifying, Poland are yet to show what they are capable of. Even if Poland are to lose, they still stand a good chance of making it to the next phase, but Nawałka will see this as an opportunity to give freedom to players like Robert Lewandowski, who will be eager to get his first goal of the tournament.
Ukraine hopes hanging by a thread
A very thin thread at that. The Ukrainians have done themselves no favours in their opening two games, losing to Germany and Northern Ireland by two goals on each occasion. They must now depend on Germany to beat Northern Ireland, while also convincingly beating Poland, if they are to stand an outside chance of reaching the next stage.
Realistically, Fomenko will know that his side is all but out of the tournament but will still demand a spirited performance in what looks to be their final game of Euro 2016.
Lewandowski due a goal
Many would have put their money on Robert Lewandowski to finish the tournament as the top scorer but the Bayern Munich hitman is yet to get off the mark. His record-breaking 13 goals in qualifying along with his stunning form in club competitions made him one of the players to watch in Euro 2016.
He has played much deeper in the opening two games, while Arkadiusz Milik has been the more adventurous of the two. The 27-year-old’s performances have by no stretch of the imagination been disappointing so far but we might see the striker allowed more freedom up front against the Ukrainians.
You would think that he would only need that first important goal to get his tournament up and running. Lewandowski in his prime can be a huge asset to Poland if they are to go far.
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