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The tournament is well under way after the completion of the first round of matches and most games, barring the Dane-Dutch encounter, went about without too much fuss. Group A kicked off in fantastic fashion on matchday 1 when Russia displayed a breathtaking display of football against favourites Czech Republic and finished the game off emphatically. They’ve staked a claim for themselves as real favourites to progress into the knockout rounds.
Hosts Poland can’t quite boast of the same, but home advantage and a potent force in attack could well cancel out the disappointment of not having first-choice keeper Wojchiech Szczesny, who will be replaced by penalty-saving hero from last match, Przemyslaw Tyton.
This game, though, stretches far beyond the football field. The history between these countries is no secret and tempers will flare more than just on the football field.
Poland
All pre-tournament jitters have now come to rest. Poland will still be feeling some pressure as hosts playing in front of a very demanding crowd, but they will be more relaxed than their opening game against Greece. However, reality points vastly towards a tough game for the co-hosts. Their team boats of some big names in the form of Lewandowski, Lukasz Piszczek and Jakub B?aszczykowski. On paper, they’re still a decent side. But will they be able to defend against Russia’s onslaught?
Russia
Arguably one of the most talented sides in the tournament. Their team is known for a fearless brand of football and they’re backed up by an equally fearless crop of footballers. That they have the required personnel to easily win this encounter, is no joke, with the likes of Pavlyuchenko, Arshavin, Pogrebnyak, Yuri Zhirkov and Igor Denisov all having played in some of the best leagues of the world.
However, like their opponents, they might well be missing their first-choice keeper Igor Akinfeev for this game.
The teams have met 14 times previously, with Russia winning 7 of those games and Poland clinching just 3.
Poland ( 4-2-3-1)
Tyton; Piszczek, Wasilewski, Perquis, Boenisch ; Murawski, Polanski; Blaszczykowski, Obraniak, Rybus ;Lewandowski
Russia (4-3-3)
Malafeev; Anyukov, Igna’vich, A.Berezutskiy, Zhirkov; Shirokov, Denisov, Zyryanov; Dzagoev, Kerzhakov, Arshavin
Plainly from a footballing perspective, this match holds the key to what the knockout rounds could look like. Poland cannot afford to lose this game as Czech Republic are favourites against Greece in their game. A loss could well mean Poland’s campaign coming to an end. Russia, on the other hand, could seal a spot in the next round with a win.
However, this game bears more than just footballing relevance. The political history between the two nations is no secret and today’s game will be more a test of character than of skill. The atmosphere in the stands and out on the streets are expected to be crass and violent: something that elevates the importance of winning this game for both the teams.
Surprising as it may seem, predicting this game is not easy.
On paper and on past performance, Russia should clinch this with relative ease. But sport would be no fun if it were won on paper. As much as people might disagree, Poland have more things going for them than against. However, if political motives are brushed aside, everything points towards a Russia win. Possibly, with a clean sheet for Malafeev.
