Welcoming Euro 2016-winning coach Fernando Santos into their dugout with open arms, Poland’s stint under the former Portugal boss did not get off to the best of starts, as the Eagles’ bid to qualify for next year’s continental championships commenced with a 3-1 loss to the Czech Republic in Group E.
There was little time for Santos to dwell on that opening defeat before Albania paid a visit to Stadion Narodowy three days later, but Poland rectified their Czech mistakes with a 1-0 win on March 27 courtesy of Karol Swiderski’s first-half strike, allowing them to surge into the top two of the rankings at this embryonic stage.
With Moldova lying in wait four days after their tantalising battle with the Germans, a fifth successive appearance at the Euros is no less than the White-Reds faithful desire for their 23rd-ranked team, who held their own at the 2022 World Cup before an expected last-16 elimination at the hands of France.
Boasting youth and experience in equal measure, Poland enter Friday’s game having gone unbeaten in each of their last six friendly matches since a 1-0 home loss in 2018 – which coincidentally also came against the Czech Republic – and it would not hurt Santos’s side to take a leaf out of Ukraine’s book.
Three months on from shipping three goals to Belgium in a pulsating friendly encounter, more lackadaisical defending came to the fore for Germany against Ukraine, who stepped foot onto the Weserstadion turf with the intention of spoiling Die Mannschaft’s 1,000th game party.
Sergiy Rebrov’s side were on course to do that before the hour mark, as a Viktor Tsygankov brace and Antonio Rudiger own goal cancelled out Niclas Fullkrug’s opener, but as was the case against Costa Rica at the World Cup, Kai Havertz was the difference-maker off the bench.
The Chelsea forward reduced the deficit in the 83rd minute with a delightful finish before winning a last-minute penalty for Joshua Kimmich to convert, and while the six-goal spectacular was a terrific watch for the neutrals, Flick claimed that the result summed up the “state” of his leaky crop.
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As Euro 2024 hosts, Germany only have friendly matches on their calendar in 2023, but Flick’s men have just four wins to their name from their last 14 matches in all tournaments – keeping a mere two clean sheets in the process – and based on the goals they conceded against Ukraine, a few more lessons in passing out from the back would not go amiss.
However, history unsurprisingly favours Die Mannschaft, who have only ever lost once in 21 previous showdowns against Poland, although they have only beaten the Eagles in one of their last five games – drawing three of them and suffering that sole defeat in a Euro 2016 qualifying contest nine years ago.
