Some Help Needed

Hello everybody. It is time to let all of you know about the change to PolandSoccer that I have hinted. I decided I'm ready to replace the polandsoccer.blogspot.com URL with a  new name. I decided to buy a new domain on blogger for the new site but I'm having trouble deciding the new URL. As the most important people on the blog, I have decided to let you guys decided the new URL. Here are some of the options:

• polish-soccer.net 
• polish-soccer.com
• polandfootball.net
• polishfooty.com 
• polandsoccer.info
• polishsoccer.org 

poll by twiigs.com

My plan is to make the new PolandSoccer a one-stop shop for all your Polish soccer news needs.

If anyone has any other ideas, please summited them in the comment section!

Poles Abroad: The Week Ahead

Tuesday
English Premier League
2:45 PM EST- Tomasz Kuszczak with Manchester United take on Chelsea.

English Championship
2:45 PM EST- Tomasz Cywka with Derby County take on Doncaster Rovers.
2:45 PM EST- Radoslaw Majewski with Nottingham Forest take on Middlesbrough.

French Cup
2:30 PM EST- Grzegorz Krychowiak with Stade de Reims take on Nice

Wednesday
English FA Cup
2:45 PM EST- Wojciech Szczesny with Arsenal take on Leyton Orient 

French Cup
2:45 PM EST- Ludovic Obraniak with Lille take on Lorient.

Friday
German Bundesliga
2:30 PM EST- Robert Lewandowski, Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski with Borussia Dortmund take on FC Koln with Slawomir Peszko and Adam Matuszczyk.

French Ligue 2
2:00 PM EST- Grzegorz Krychowiak with Stade de Reims take on Metz

Turkish Super Lig
1:00 PM EST- Maciej Iwanski with Manisaspor take on Kayserispor.

Belgian Jupiler League
2:30 PM EST- Marcin Wasilewski with Anderlecht take on Racing Genk.

Dutch Eerste Divisie
2:00 PM EST- Michal Janota with Go Ahead Eagles take on FC Eindhoven.

Weekend Review: Bundesliga

German magazine Kicker gave Lukasz Piszczek and Robert Lewandowski ratings of 3 (team low) for their performances in Borussia Dortmund's 3-1 win over Bayern Munich on Saturday. Jakub Blaszczykowski played too short to be rated.

In the 2. Bundesliga, Sebastian Tyrala received a rating of 2,5 for his performance in Osnabruck's 2-1 loss to Fortuna Dusseldorf

Adam Matuszczyk and Slawomir Peszko did not play in FC Koln's 1-0 won over SC Freiburg due to injury.

Dawid Janczyk joins Korona Kielce

Dawid Janczyk is officially back in the Ekstraklasa.

The former Poland youth star has signed with Korona Kielce on the last day of the Ekstraklasa transfer window, completing his return to the league just four years after leaving Legia Warszawa to sign with CSKA Moscow.

The 23-year old striker has signed a one-year contract and will wear the number 11 on his jersey for Korona.

What do you think of the signing? Happy to see Janczyk back in the Ekstraklasa? Think he'll fit in well with Korona Kielce?

Transfer Deadline Day: Ekstraklasa (Updated)

The Ekstraklasa transfer season comes to a close today, making today one of the craziest days of the year. Here are the least transfer that went down:

• Like reported earlier, Albanian international striker Ervin Skela has signed a contract with Arka Gdynia. The 34-year old has passed his medical test on Monday and officially signed a contract till the end of the season.

• Ruch Chorzow have signed English-born Polish striker Pawel Abbott on a free transfer from English Third Division side Charlton Athletic. After passing his medical test, Abbott signed a one-year contract with Ruch. 

•  Mateusz Bartczak has left Zaglebie Lubin and joined relegation-threated Cracovia Krakow. The 31-year old midfielder has signed a contract to the end of the current season. 

• Serbian striker Vuk Sotirovic has joined Jagiellonia Bialystok on loan from Slask Wroclaw. The 28-year old will be a member of Jagiellonia till the end of the season. 

• Dawid Janczyk has signed a one-year contract with Korona Kielce.  

Ekstraklasa Fantasy Football: Matchweek 16

Top Points Getter
Erik Cikos (Wisla Krakow)-- 10 points
Michal Stasiak (Zaglebie Lubin)--8 points
Jakub Wilk (Lech Poznan)-- 8 points
Alexander Suvorov (Cracovia)-- 7 points
Lukasz Tyminski (Polonia Bytom)-- 7 points

Poland Soccer League Standings
1. Primo Victoria---------45 points
2. LECH EUROPA------30
3. PolandSoccer--------- 26
4. zks hennessey--------- 25
5. Filadelfia SC---------- 25
6. *Hussaria*-----------  24
7. Home Cheapo-------- 21
8. jekunited--------------19
9. Jastkowice PL-------- 19
10. FC Dzielna-----------19
11. Polonia Poznan-------18    
12. LKS SikieraPila------18
13. ak-47----------------13
14. Montreal FC--------- 0

This week's Poland Soccer League Top Scorer:
Primo Victoria (45 points)
-----------------------------------Skaba(0)---------------------------------
--Bosacki(6)-----------------Andriuskevicius(6)---------------Cikos(10)---
--Mierzejewski(0)-----Melikson(3)-----------Gasparik(3)---------Puri(-2)--
---------Hubnik(6*2=12)-----------Buval(2)--------Piech(1)--------------

Hubik is the captain so his points get doubled.

Foster: Its not Szczesny's fault

Birmingham City goalkeeper Ben Foster believes Koscielny was at fault and that Szczesny had probably called to take the ball

-"The center half (Koscielny) kind of just got involved when he didn't really need to. I thought the goalkeeper probably shouted for it. Obviously, there's a lot of noise in Wembley. He (Koscielny) couldn't hear and he's just tried to clear when it was obvious that it would drop into his (the goalkeeper's) hands," Foster told The Associated Press after the match.

-"It's one of those things: when it's not heard, it kind of looks bad on the goalkeeper. But if the defender had just left it, it would have dropped right into his (Szczesny's) hands," Foster added.

-"He (Szczesny) needs to move on from this and put it behind him and carry on with the good form he is showing already," Foster said.

Wenger on Szczesny and Koscielny

Arsene Wenger revealed Wojciech Szczesny and Laurent Koscielny were left "destroyed" after their last-minute mix-up that cost Arsenal the Carling Cup trophy.

Wenger on the late goal
I am bitterly disappointed, like the whole team. We had some problems to start the game, the number of games we played caught up a little bit on us. It took us a while to get into the rhythm and pace of the game. In the second half we were on top, unfortunately we couldn't score the second goal and, in the end, we made a mistake that left us no time at all to respond. We were preparing to play extra time.

Wenger on his view of the winner
It was a lack of communication, determination a little bit as well. Like always, when the ball is in no-man's land, someone has to take responsibility and go for it. What was amazing [was that] no-one was going for the ball from Birmingham.

Wenger on the mood in the dressing room 
Both of them [Koscielny and Szczesny] are destroyed. I don’t think it’s a good moment for me to add anything. We have to lift them up again and help them, that is what a team is about. That is part of the game, we had enough chances to kill the game off before. They could only be dangerous, in the end, on free kicks. Maybe we were a bit nervous on it as well.

Wenger on the penalty shout in the second minute 
I didn't feel that was a penalty, I felt it was offside. 

Poles Abroad: Sunday

English Carling Cup

• Wojciech Szczesny played 90 minutes and made four saves in Arsenal's 2-1 loss to Birmingham.

Scottish Premier League

• Lukasz Zaluska spend the whole match on the bench in Celtic's 2-0 loss to Motherwell.

Italian Serie A

• Blazej Augustyn started and received a red card (second yellow) in the 75th minute in Catania's 2-1 win over Genoa.

• Artur Boruc played 90 minutes and made one save in Fiorentina's 1-1 draw with Bari.

• Kamil Glik played 90 minutes and recorded an assist in Bari's 1-1 draw with Fiorentina.

German 2. Bundesliga

• Sebastian Tyrala played 90 minutes and took one shot in Osnabruck's 2-1 loss to Fortuna Dusseldorf.

• Artur Wichniarek did not dress due to injury in FC Ingolstadt's 4-1 win over Karlsruhe.

Turkish Super Lig

• Mariusz Pawelek played 90 minutes in Konyaspor's 2-1 loss to Karabukspor.

• Marcin Robak was serving a one-game suspension (red card) and did not play in Konyaspor's 2-1 loss to Karabukspor.

• Kamil Grosicki started, played 83 minutes and scored three goals in Sivasspor's 4-2 win over Manisaspor.

• Arkadiusz Glowacki played 90 minutes and scored a goal in Trabzonspor's 3-3 draw with Kayserispor.

• Pawel Brozek came off the bench in the 72nd minute in Trabzonspor's 3-3 draw with Kayserispor.

• Piotr Brozek spend the whole match on bench in Trabzonspor's 3-3 draw with Kayserispor.

Greek Super League

• Roger Guerreiro started, played 66 minutes and recorded an assist in AEK Athens's 3-2 win over Ergotelis.

• Miroslaw Sznaucner started and played 65 minutes in PAOK Salonika's 2-0 loss to Kavala. 

Video: Grosicki's hat-trick vs. Manisaspor *Updated

Grosicki's first goal


Grosicki's second goal 


Grosicki's second goal 

Glowacki scores late equalizer

What a day for Poles in Turkey on Sunday. First Kamil Grosicki scored a hat trick, then Maciej Iwanski recorded an assist and now Arkadiusz Glowacki scored a late goal to level the score at 3:3 between Trabzonspor and Kayserispor.

Glowacki scored the equalizer in the 88th minute.

Fellow Polish teammate Pawel Brozek came off the bench in the 72nd minute while twin brother Piotr spend the whole match on the bench.

With the draw, Trabzonspor remain second in the league standings.

Video: Glowacki's Goal

Ekstraklasa: Lech Poznan 1:0 Widzew Lodz

Lech Poznan 1:0 Widzew Lodz
1:0 Jakub Wilk 32'

Lech:
Krzysztof Kotorowski - Marcin Kikut, Manuel Arboleda, Bartosz Bosacki, Luis Henriquez - Jacek Kielb (46. Tomasz Mikolajczak), Dimitrije Injac, Siergiej Krivets, Rafal Murawski (67. Mateusz Mozdzen), Jakub Wilk (85. Hubert Wolakiewicz) - Artjoms Rudnevs.

Widzew: Maciej Mielczarz - Souheil Ben Radhia, Sebastian Madera, Wojciech Szymanek, Dudu - Adrian Budka (76. Riku Riski), Lukasz Broz, Mindaugas Panka, Paul Grischok (81. Rafal Grzelak) - Darvydas Sernas, Piotr Grzelczak (65. Nika Dzalamidze).

Highlights
1:0 Jakub Wilk

Black day for Szczesny and Arsenal

A horrendous mix-up between Wojciech Szczesny and Laurent Koscielny in the 89th minute handed Birmingham City the Carling Cup trophy with a 2-1 win.

Wojciech Szczesny played 90 minutes in Arsenal's goal and made four saves. Szczesny received a rating of 4/10 from goal.com and was voted Flop of the Match.

Szczesny fouls Lee Bowyer but no penalty called



First goal allowed by Szczesny


Szczesny's save on Nikola Zigic



Second goal allowed by Szczesny

Roger Guerreiro's assist vs. Ergotelis

Grosicki nets hat trick in Sivasspor's win

Kamil Grosicki continues his fantastic season in Turkey on Sunday with a hat trick in Sivasspor's 4-2 victory over Manisaspor.

Grosicki began the scoring in the 17th minute when he converted a penalty kick. After halftime, Manisaspor leveled the score at 1-1. Starting in the 53rd minute, Grosicki scored two goals in less than 10 minutes. The former Jagiellonia Bialystok striker was taken off in the 82nd minute.

With the three goals today, Grosicki has now five goals six matches for Sivasspor

Maciej Iwanski was also featured in the match. Iwanski came off the bench in the 40th minute and recorded an assist on Manisaspor's second goal.

With the win, Sivasspor move out of the relegation zone and into the 15th spot with 19 points.

Ekstraklasa: Polonia Warszawa 0:0 Gornik Zabrze

Polonia Warszawa 0:0 Gornik Zabrze

Polonia: Sebastian Przyrowski - Jakub Tosik, Tomasz Jodlowiec, Maciej Sadlok, Dorde Cotra - Bruno Coutinho, Lukasz Piatek, Patryk Rachwal, Janusz Gancarczyk (78. Tomasz Brzyski) - Ebi Smolarek (65. Daniel Golebiewski), Artur Sobiech.

Gornik: Adam Stachowiak - Michal Bemben (89. Adam Danch), Mariusz Jop, Adam Banas, Mariusz Magiera - Grzegorz Bonin (79. Daniel Sikorski), Adam Marciniak, Mariusz Przybylski, Aleksander Kwiek, Michal Gasparik (79. Marcin Wodecki) - Tomasz Zahorski.

Match Highlights

Polish match in Italy ends as a draw

Relegation-threaded Bari with Kamil Glik snatched a point away from Fiorentina with Artur Boruc in goal in the closing minutes of the match.

Artur Boruc and Kamil Glik both played 90 minutes for their respective sides.

Glik beaten on Fiorentina's goal


Goal allowed by Boruc and Glik's assist.

Bayern Munich 1, Borussia Dortmund 3: Match Highlights

Szczesny ready for first cup final

Arsenal with Wojciech Szczesny in goal will try to end their five-year trophy drought as they take on Birmingham in the Carling Cup final. Szczesny whose making his first cup final appearance said his father, grandfather and brother will be in attendance at Wembley Stadium.

-"My dad will be at Wembley with my brother and grandfather. My grandfather is leaving Poland for the first time in his life, so that will be a big occasion. He is in his 70s. I'm very pleased he's coming. He's watched me a few times for the national team. It's an extra incentive for me to do well," said Szczesny.

The Carling Cup final between Arsenal and Birmingham will kickoff at 11:00 AM EST. 

The match will will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel in the United States and on Setanta Sports Canada in Canada.

Fulham join race for Lech Poznan star

English side Fulham are keeping tabs on Lech Poznan striker Artjoms Rudnevs, who could be available for 5 million euros this summer.

The 23-year old has scored seven league goals so far this season and also has been on top form in the Europa League, scoring five times.

Rudnevs is also drawing interests from giants such as FC Barcelona, Arsenal and Juventus.

Must-See Goal: Lukas Podolski vs. SC Freiburg

Poles Abroad: Saturday

Barclays Premier League

• Tomasz Kuszczak spend the whole match on the bench in Manchester United's 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic.

English Championship

• Tomasz Cywka came off the bench in the 56th minute in Derby County's 1-0 win over Sheffield United.

• Radoslaw Majewski started, played 62 minutes and took one shot in Nottingham Forest's 0-0 draw with Millwall.

Scottish Premier League

• Adrian Mrowiec played 90 minutes in Hearts' 0-0 draw with Aberdeen.

German Bundesliga

• Slawomir Peszko and Adam Matuszczyk both did not play due to injury in FC Koln's 1-0 win over SC Freiburg.

French Ligue 1

• Ireneusz Jelen played 90 minutes and took one shot in Auxerre's 3-0 loss to Bordeaux.

• Dariusz Dudka played 90 minutes in Auxerre's 3-0 loss to Bordeaux.

Dutch Eredivisie

• Przemyslaw Tyton played 90 minutes in Roda JC Kerkrade's 1-1 draw with De Graafschap.

• Matuesz Prus spend the whole match on the bench in Roda JC Kerkrade's 1-1 draw with De Graafschap.

Turkish Super Lig

• Michal Zewlakow played 90 minutes in Ankaragucu's 4-2 loss to Genclerbirligi.  

Poles help Borussia edge Bayern

Borussia Dortmund laid one hand on the Bundesliga title on Saturday with an impressive 3-1 win vs. defending champions Bayern Munich. All three Poles took part in the win.

Lukasz Piszczek played 90 minutes for Borussia Dortmund. He received a rating of 7/10 from goal.com with this note: The Polish defender looked sturdy throughout and was able to keep Ribery quiet for the majority of the game, testament to how much the right-back has come on in recent months.

Jakub Blaszczykowski returned to action after missing two games with an injury. Blaszczykowski stared on the bench but  came on in the 73rd minute. He received a rating of 5.5/10 from goal.com with this note: The Polish winger entered the game with 20 minutes to go and worked hard for his team-mates.

Robert Lewandowski played 90 minutes and took four shots on goal. He received a rating of 6.5/10 from goal.com with this note: The Polish striker played in a more withdrawn role and worked hard for his team. Linked up well with Barrios. Looks settled in the Dortmund side.

The defeat leaves Bayern 16 points behind Dortmund and, with 10 games left, Dortmund are firmly on course for their first German league title since 2002.

Ekstraklasa Round 16: Saturday

Polonia Bytom 1:1 GKS Belchatow
1:0 Lukasz Tyminski 53'
1:1 Dawid Nowak 68'

Polonia: Seweryn Kielpin - Adrian Chomiuk, Michal Hanek, Mateusz Zytko, Blażej Telichowski - Marcin Radzewicz, Marcin Dziewulski, David Kobylik, Lukasz Tyminski, Dariusz Jarecki (69. Blazej Vascak) - Grzegorz Podstawek (76. Przemysław Trytko).

GKS: Lukasz Sapela - Maciej Mysiak, Marcin Drzymont, Mate Lacic, Grzegorz Fonfara - Tomasz Wrobel, Grzegorz Baran, Lukasz Bocian, Mateusz Cetnarski (77. Szymon Sawala), Maciej Malkowski (66. Pawel Buzala) - Dawid Nowak (90. Grzegorz Kuswik).

Highlights
1:0 Lukasz Tyminski 
1:1 Dawid Nowak

----------------------------------------------------------
Ruch Chorzow 0:0 Lechia Gdansk

Ruch: Matko Perdijic - Piotr Stawarczyk, Rafal Grodzicki, Grzegorz Bronowicki, Zeljko Djokovic - Wojciech Grzyb (76. Lukasz Janoszka), Marek Szyndrowski, Andrej Komac, Marek Zienczuk - Maciej Jankowski (83. Pawel Lisowski), Sebastian Olszar (59. Arkadiusz Piech).

Lechia: Sebastian Malkowski - Marcin Pietrowski, Luka Vucko, Krzysztof Bak, Vytautas Andriuskevicius - Lukasz Surma, Marko Bajic (72. Pawel Nowak), Kamil Pozniak (78. Ivans Lukjanovs), Abdou Traore, Bedi Buval - Aleksandr Sazankov (84. Piotr Wisniewski).

----------------------------------------------------------
Zaglebie Lubin 1:1 Korona Kielce
1:0 Michal Stasiak 6'
1:1 Andrzej Niedzielan 10'

Zaglebie: Bojan Isailovic - Bartosz Rymaniak, Csaba Horvath, Michal Stasiak, Przemyslaw Kocot - Lukasz Hanzel, Dawid Abwo (78. Deniss Rakels), Damian Dabrowski, Szymon Pawlowski, Dawid Plizga - Dusan Djokic (66. Arkadiusz Wozniak).

Korona: Zbigniew Malkowski - Nikola Mijailovic, Hernani, Pavol Stano, Pawel Golanski - Maciej Korzym (56. Pawel Sobolewski), Sander Puri (79. Tomasz Lisowski), Vlastimir Jovanovic, Aleksandar Vukovic - Andrzej Niedzielan (85. Maciej Tataj), Edi Andradina.
  
Highlights
1:0 Michal Stasiak 
1:1 Andrzej Niedzielan

Ekstraklasa: Arka Gdynia 0:1 Wisla Krakow

Arka Gdynia 0:1 Wisla Krakow
0:1 Patryk Malecki 89'

Arka: Marcelo Moretto - Marciano Bruma, Maciej Szmatiuk, Ante Rozic, Emil Noll - Giovanni Duarte (61. Tadas Labukas), Michal Plotka, Pawel Zawistowski, Miroslav Bozok (87. Filip Burkhardt), Robert Bednarek - Joseph Desire Mawaye (86. Junior Ross).

Wisla: Sergei Pareiko - Erik Cikos, Osman Chavez, Kew Jaliens, Dragan Paljic - Patryk Malecki, Mikhail Sivakov (86. Tomas Jirsak), Cezary Wilk, Maor Melikson, Andraz Kirm (85. Maciej Zurawski) - Cwetan Genkov (94. Lukasz Gargula).

Goals
0:1 Patryk Malecki

Ekstraklasa: Cracovia Krakow 3:3 Legia Warszawa

Cracovia Krakow 3:3 Legia Warszawa
1:0 Marian Jarabica 35'
1:1 Michal Kucharczyk 45'
2:1 Alexandr Suvorov 49' (penalty kick)
2:2 Michal Hubnik 61'
3:2 Saidi Ntibazonkiza 65'
3:3 Jakub Wawrzyniak 78'

Cracovia: Wojciech Kaczmarek - Marian Jarabica, Lukasz Nawotczynski, Vule Trivunovic, Milos Kosanovic - Alexandru Suvorov (71. Aleksejs Visnakovs), Mateusz Klich, Piotr Giza (81. Marcin Krzywicki), Arkadiusz Radomski, Saidi Ntibazonkiza - Bartlomiej Dudzic (90+5. Slawomir Szeliga).

Legia: Wojciech Skaba - Jakub Rzezniczak, Dejan Kelhar, Inaki Astiz, Jakub Wawrzyniak - Michal Kucharczyk (72. Takesure Chinyama), Ivica Vrdoljak (56. Alejandro Cabral), Miroslav Radovic, Ariel Borysiuk, Manu - Michal Hubnik (88. Bruno Mezenga).

Highlights
1:0 Marian Jarabica
1:1 Michal Kucharczyk 
2:1 Alexandr Suvorov  (penalty kick)
2:2 Michal Hubnik
3:2 Saidi Ntibazonkiza
3:3 Jakub Wawrzyniak
(Click on name to see goal)

Poles Abroad: Weekend Schedule

Saturday
7:00 AM EST- Michal Zewlakow with Ankaragucu take on Genclerbirligi.
7:00 AM EST- Adrian Mrowiec with Hearts take on Aberdeen.
10:00 AM EST- Tomasz Kuszczak with Manchester United take on Wigan Athletic.
10:00 AM EST- Tomasz Cywka with Derby County take on Sheffield United.
10:00 AM EST- Radoslaw Majewski with Nottingham Forest take on Millwall.
12:30 PM EST- Robert Lewandowski and Lukasz Piszczek with Borussia Dortmund take on Bayern Munich.
1:45 PM EST- Przemyslaw Tyton with Roda take on De Graafschap.
3:00 PM EST- Ireneusz Jelen and Dariusz Dudka with Auxerre take on Bordeaux.

Sunday
6:30 AM EST- Blazej Augustyn with Catania take on Genoa.
7:00 AM EST- Marcin Robak and Mariusz Pawelek with Konyaspor take on Karabukspor.
7:30 AM EST- Sebastian Tyrala with VfL Osnabruck take on Fortuna Dusseldorf.
7:45 AM EST- Lukasz Zaluska with Celtic take on Motherwell.
9:00 AM EST- Artur Boruc with Fiorentina take on Bari with Kamil Glik.
10:00 AM EST- Maciej Iwanski with Manisaspor take on Sivasspor with Kamil Grosicki.
11:00 AM EST- Wojciech Szczesny with Arsenal take on Birmingham in the Carling Cup final.
12:00 PM EST- Pawel Brozek, Piotr Brozek and Arkadiusz Glowacki with Trabzonspor take on Kayserispor.
3:00 PM EST- Ludovic Obraniak with Lille take on Lyon.

Braga 2, Lech Poznan 0: Match Highlights

Ekstraklasa Spring Round Preview: Widzew Lodz

League Position: 12, eighteen (4-6-5)

Friendly results: Baltyk Gdynia W 4-0, Chojniczanka Chojnice W 5-3, Cartusia Kartuzy W 6-1, Olimpia Grudziadz W 2-0, Internacional Club Almancil W 6-0, Vitoria Setubal W 2-1, Belenenses Lizbona D 1-1, FK Indija L 0-1, Legia Warszawa L 1-3

Next game: Feb. 27th vs. Lech Poznan

Arrivals: Jurijs Zigajevs (FK Ventspils), Sebastian Radzio (Wigry Suwalki), Riku Riski (TPS Turku), Bogdan Straton (FC Botosani), Nika Dzalamidze (FC Baia Zugdidi)

Departures: Bartosz Fabiniak (terminated contract), Marcin Robak (Konyaspor), Tomasz Lisowski (Korona Kielce)

Plus for: The transfer they made this winter. They lost Marcin Robak but upgraded their midfield with Nika Dzalamidze, Jurijs Zigajevs and Riku Riski.

Minus for: Not getting a new goalkeeper. After four years, Bartosz Fabiniak left the club. Maciej Mielcarz isn't the best and Michal Pytkowski is still young.

What to Expect: Widzew had a good transfer market during the winter upgrading their midfield. They lost Robak but still have a dangerous Darvydas Sernas as their striker. They scored a league-high 23 goals in the autumn round. They have good defense but a questionable goalkeeper. They wont get relegated and they will be a hard to beat.

Player to Watch: Darvydas Sernas
Scored seven goals and recorded four assists in the autumn round. A very smart and dangerous striker who was voted the Lithuanian Player of the Year for 2010.

Young Player to Watch: Riku Riski (21-years old)
Joined Widzew from from Finnish side Turun Palloseura. Plays as a central midfielder who can also score goals. Made his senior national team debut on February 9th, 2011 against Belgium.

Sporting Braga vs. Lech Poznan: Player Ratings

Starters (Rating Scale 1-10)
Krzysztof Kotorowski- Started the match by fumbling a easy shot in the 8th minute which gave Braga a 1-0 lead. Then he made the saves that we needed but allowed the second goal which gave Braga the advantage to the next round. Rating 4

Hubert Wolakiewicz- Made his debut in European competitions. Brought in the winter from Lechia Gdansk, the defender has not adapted to the high level presented by his more experienced colleagues on the field. Rating 4  

Bartosz Bosacki- A very poor performance by the captain. It was his fault Lech went down 2-0. Gave up the ball, Braga went on a counter attack and Lima finished it off which killed Lech Poznan's dreams. Rating 3.5

Manuel Arboleda- Weak match by the Colombian. Several times Arboleda was easily played by the Portuguese attackers. Looked lost, nervous and mainly fought with his shoelaces. Rating 3 

Seweryn Gancarczyk- After the first leg, it looked like Gancarczyk will be benched after a poor performance but Bakero decided to give him another shot. Nothing chance from the first leg in Gancarczyk's performance. Should get a plus for his long distance shot which was dangerous. Rating 3.5

Marcin Kikut- Not the same Kikut we saw in the first leg. Started as a attacking midfielder on the right side but then was packed int his natural position as a right defender. Had a chance to score but couldnt reach the ball. Recited a red card at the end for a stupid foul. Rating 3

Dimitrije Injac-  The Serb returned to Lech's lineup after missing the fist leg with an injury. Not much visible and lost many possessions for Lech. Rating 2.5

Ivan Durdevic- In Poznan he played really well but in Braga he disappointed. Together with Injac, they made a whole hole in Lech's center part of the midfield. Rating 2.5

Semir Stilic- Started the match as a lone striker which was a and idea by Bakero. In the second half, Stilic moved to the midfield but also awful. Not the same Stilic we know. Rating 2.5

Sergey Krivets- He tried to do something which he gets credit for. Made some decent passes but his colleagues didn't help him out. Rating 5

Artjoms Rudnevs- Started the match on the left wing and don't ask me why. Returned to his natural position of striker in the second half and was much better but didn't score the important goal. Wasted a great chance in the dying moments of the match. Rating 4

Reserves 
Jakub Wilk- Came on at halftime for Injac. Minutes by minute he looked lost. Could have been the hero but hit the crossbar in the 90th minute- Rating 3

Jacek Kiełb- Came on in the 65th minute. Was more active then Wilk and tried to do something. Rating 3.5

Vojo Ubiparip- You sure he came on. I'm only joking but completely loss and invisible. Rating 1 

What do you think about the ratings? Agree or disagree?

Poles Abroad: Europa League

• Ludovic Obraniak played 90 minutes and took one shot in Lille's 3-1 loss to PSV Eindhoven. Lille are eliminated for the Europa Leachate losing 5-3 on aggregates.

• Marcin Wasilewski started and played 71 minutes in Anderlecht's 2-0 loss to Ajax Amsterdam. Anderlecht are also out after losing 5-0 on aggregates. 

Only Pawel Kieszek with F.C. Porto and Tomasz Bobel with Bayer Leverkusen move on to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League.

Europa League: Sporting Braga 2:0 Lech Poznan

Sporting Braga 2:0 Lech Poznan
0:1 Alan 8'
0:2 Lima 36'

Sporting: Artur - Miguel Garcia, Kaka, Alberto Rodriguez, Silvio - Custodio, Hugo Viana, Mossoro (69. Leandro Salino) - Alan (82. Elderson), Lima, Helder Barbosa (68. Paulo Cesar)

Lech: Krzysztof Kotorowski - Hubert Wolakiewicz (61. Jacek Kielb), Bartosz Bosacki, Manuel Arboleda, Seweryn Gancarczyk - Marcin Kikut, Dmitrije Injac (46. Jakub Wilk), Sergiej Krivets, Ivan Djurdjevic - Semir Stilic (71. Vojo Ubiparip), Artjoms Rudnevs

1:0 Alan



2:0 Lima



Share your thoughts about the match below

Lech Poznan vs. Braga Liveblog

Lech Poznan's starting lineup vs. Braga

Heres Lech Poznan's starting lineup vs. Sporting Braga 
Kotorowski - Wolakiewicz, Bosacki, Arboleda, Gancarczyk - Injac, Djurdjevic - Kikut, Stilic, Krivets -Rudnevs

Hubert Wolakiewicz replaces Marcin Kikut at the right back position. However, Kikut moves up to play as a  right attacking midfielder. Injac returns to the starting lineup after missing the first leg with an injury. Bartosz Slusarski and Jakub Wilk are return to the bench.

Sporting Braga vs. Lech Poznan Preview

Lech Poznan travel to Portugal to take on Sporting Braga in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League. Lech have a 1-0 lead on aggregate after winning in Poznan last Thursday.
 
Both sides met last week in Poznan for the first leg. Lech came out on top after a 72nd minute striker by Artjoms Rudnevs. The match was played out in poor weather conditions which featured snow and freezing temperature.

Three days later, on Sunday, Lech took on Polonia Warszawa in the Polish Cup quarterfinals. After a poor match, Jose Mari Bakero's squad lost 1-0 after Manuel Arboleda accidentally scored an own goal. 

Lech had to leave Tomasz Bandrowski and Grzegorz Wojtkowiak behind in Poland as both are battling injuries. Rafal Murawski of course is ineligibly to play due to playing with Rubin Kazan in the same tournament when he was a member of the Russia side. Ivan Durdevic is ready to go after missing Lech's Polish Cup clash against Polonia with an injury. Hubert Wolakiewicz is also healthy after leaving the Polish Cup match with an injury.

During the weekend, Braga took on Pacos Ferreira in a league match. Lech Poznan's rival lost 2-1. To make things worst, Braga lost defender Custodio to injury and is questionable about today's appearance against Lech. Forward Alan is also questionable after suffering an injury in the first leg. For sure, Braga will be without defender Paulao and midfielder Vandinho.

The match will begin at 3:05 PM EST.

I will provide a liveblog which will begin a 2:45 PM EST.  

PolandSoccer's prediction: Lech Poznan 0-0 Braga

Any predictions or thoughts?

Its Not Too Late, So Sign Up!

Ekstraklasa fans, the spring round is just around the corner and its not too late to sign up for the NEW Ekstraklasa Fantasy Football.

To register for Ekstraklasa Fantasy Football on wp.pl, click here. The league is free.

After registering and choosing your squad, click here to join 'Poland Soccer" league and the code is 340564664.

We already have 12 members and looking for more!

The league begins on Friday, February 25th.

Ekstraklasa Spring Round Preview: Polonia Bytom

League Position: 13th, seventeen points (4-5-6)

Friendly results: Energie Cottbus D 0-0, Rakow Czestochowa W 1-0, Zaglebie Sosnowiec W 1-0, Dolcan Zabki D 1-1, Inter Zapresic W 1-0,Universitatea Cluj W 1-0, FC Koper L 1-0, FK Jagodina D 0-0,

Next game: Feb 26th vs. GKS Belchatow

Arrivals: Marcin Dziewulski (Ruch Radzionkow), Przemyslaw Trytko (on loan from Jagiellonia Bialystok), Krzysztof Krol (on loan from Jagiellonia Bialystok), Lukasz Tyminski (Slask Wroclaw), Seweryn Kielpin (returns from loan from Ruch Radzionkow)

Departures: Maciej Bykowski (terminated contract), Piotr Tomasik (terminated contract), Tomasz Mikolajczak (loan ended; returned to Lech Poznan), Szymon Sawala (GKS Belchatow), Arkadiusz Mysona (LKS Nieciecza)

Plus for: Making some transfers. They were clueless in the summer transfer window without making any productive transfers. Now in the winter, they get Krzysztof Krol, Przemyslaw Trytko and secure talented midfielder Lukasz Tyminski.

Minus for: Not making enough of transfer. They still need another striker and needed to upgrade their defense.

What to Expect: I predicted in the Ekstraklasa season preview that Polonia will get relegated and I'm sticking with it. The club has a awful stadium, financial problems, and a very average side. They finished 7th last season, but are highly predicted to get relegated this season.

Player to Watch: David Kobylik
Kobylik is the backbone of Polonia's midfield. He assisted on five goals in 11 matches in the autumn round. A experienced player with talent.  

Young Player to Watch: Lukasz Tyminski (20-years old)
The hope and future of Polonia Bytom. He played in five matches in the autumn round recording one assist. Will see more playing time in the spring round.

Ekstraklasa Spring Round Preview: Ruch Chorzow

League Position: 14th, seventeen points (4-5-6)

Friendly results: FK Mash'al Mubarek W 3-0, FK Ventspils L 1-0, FC Zbrojovka Brno T 1-1, FC Vostok D 0-0,  Podbeskidzie D 2-2, Rozwoj Katowice W 2-0

Next game: Feb 26th vs. Lechia Gdansk

Arrivals: Zeljko Djokic (Javor), Marek Szyndrowski (GKS Belchatow), Marek Zienczuk (Lechia Gdansk), Michal Peskovic (Aris Thessaloniki), Michal Steinke (Tur Turek)

Departures: Maciej Sadlok (Polonia Warszawa), Krzysztof Pilarz (Korona Kielce), Piotr Kieruzel (Warta Poznan)

Plus for: The transfer they made. Brought in a new experienced goalkeeper (Michal Peskovic) and a new defender (Djokic) after losing Sadlok. They also got a good midfielder in Zienczuk who was once the best midfielder in the Ekstraklasa. Ruch has financial problems but made decent tiny transfers.

Minus for: Not adding another striker. They lost the best striking duo (Sobiech and Niedzielan)in the Ekstraklasa last summer and didn't add anyone with experience. Now they are rumored to buy Paweł Abbott from Charlton Athletic. They have Janoszka and Jankowski as their strikers but need to add experience. Ruch only scored 12 goals in the autumn round which is the second lowest of goals scored.

What to Expect: Sad to see but Ruch Chorzow are in a mess. They let go two promising players, Artur Sobiech and Maciej Sadlok. Last season, Ruch was a title contender and now are heavily fighting to hang around for a another season in the Ekstraklasa. Its going to be a tough upcoming rest of the season but Ruch will avoid the relegation zone and will play in the highest fly in Polish soccer.

Player to Watch: Lukasz Janoszka
Just like Jankowski, Janoszka is one of the clubs best players. He is the player Ruch is trying to built around.

Young Player to Watch: Maciej Jankowski (21-years old)
Jankowski was probably one of Ruch's best players in the autumn round. After Sobiech and Niedzielan left, Jankowski become Ruch's new hope in attack.

Szczesny helps Arsenal pick up three points

Wojciech Szczesny played 90 minutes and made one save in Arsenal's 1-0 win over Stoke City.

Szczesny received a rating of 7.5/10 from goal.com with this note: Good early punch from a Stoke free kick but was a bystander for much of the opening half. Had to be at his best to keep out John Carew's fierce strike from 25-yards with a one handed save at full stretch in what was another clean sheet and strong performance from the youngster.

Szczesny's save on John Carew

Ekstraklasa Spring Round Preview: Arka Gdynia

League Position: 15th, seventeen points (4-5-6)

Friendly results: Young Boys Berno T 0-0,  FC Sion L 3-2,  FC Timisoara L 3-1, FK Ventspils T 1-1, Beroe Stara Zagora T 1-1

Next game: Feb 25th vs. Wisla Krakow

Arrivals: Junior Ross (free transfer), Marcelo Moretto (Olhanense)

Departures: Norbert Witkowski (terminated contrat), Andrzej Bledzewski (terminated contrat)

Plus for: Getting a experienced goalkeeper. First they signed Wojciech Kowalewski but he resigned after only couple days and now Arka signed former Benfica keeper Marcelo Moretto.

Minus for: Not adding an experienced striker. They got Ross but thats not enough. They only scored 9 goals in the first part of the season which is the least of any teams this season.

What to Expect: Arka has a solid defense (only allowed 14 goals) but their attack is awful. So far their unbeaten at home and they have a pretty good chance to remain in the Ekstraklasa but they need to start scoring goals. They now have a beautiful new stadium which will attract more fans.

Player to Watch: Tadas Labukas
Arka's top scorer Tadas Labukas (five goals) is a dangerous striker up top but he needs help. Their midfield isn't strong enough but he can easily break the score if no eye is on him.

Young Player to Watch: Marcin Budzinski (20-years old)
Budzinski easily could have been put into the Player to watch category. He was their best player during the autumn round and will be an important figure to this team to keep them another season in the Ekstraklasa.

Bakero dreams of Europa League final

Its been eight years since a Polish side graced the last 16 of a UEFA club competition but, 1-0 up after the first leg of their UEFA Europa League tie against Braga, Lech Poznan are on the verge of ending the wait.

Heres a interview with Lech Poznan coach Jose Maria Bakero who is getting ready for an important match against Braga..

The first leg in Poznan was played in difficult wintry conditions. The weather in Portugal is very different: could it be a big advantage for Braga?

Jose Maria Bakero: Well, Lech are not just a winter team, they can play in any conditions. I would like to remind those who seem to have forgotten that we beat Manchester City 3-1 on a pretty nice pitch. Braga have their hopes of qualifying and we have ours. We did the first part of the job in Poznan and hope to finish it in Braga.

Sunday's 1-0 home defeat by Polonia Warszawa in the Polish Cup quarter-finals is not ideal preparation. Do you fear it could affect your players' morale? 

Bakero: No, not at all. The match in Braga will be totally different. Polonia played really deep and failed to muster a single shot on goal. They got lucky, winning thanks to a Manuel Arboleda own goal. You cannot compare it with the Braga match as there the home team will have to attack.

In the first leg, Artjoms Rudnevs took his tally to five UEFA Europa League goals this season, including a hat-trick at Juventus. He has been linked with a move away – will the rumors spoil his focus? 
 
Bakero: Rudnevs is a fantastic person. He's a very talented player and always willing to learn. I wouldn't discourage him thinking about a possible move away. In fact, I'm delighted about the gossip saying a lot of clubs want him and a few other Lech players. It's proof I'm doing well here. If so many clubs want Rudnevs, it means he's playing very well – thanks, at least in part, to my influence as coach.

You recently admitted that you dream about reaching the Europa League final with Lech – is it just a dream or a realistic goal?

Bakero: My motto is 'keep your feet on the ground but don't give up your dreams'. I'm focused on Braga as I know it will be a tough game, but at the same time I'm dreaming. It would be fantastic to reach the final and play against one of the Spanish teams – Villarreal or Sevilla. Under my predecessor (Jacek Zielinski, whom Bakero replaced in November) and myself, Lech have done really well, with memorable games against giants like Manchester City and Juventus. We can do great things in this competition.

Jagiellonia Bialystok vs. Slask Wroclaw match postponed

Saturday's league match between Jagiellonia Bialystok and Slask Wroclaw in Bialystok has been postponed due to poor weather conditions.

The match between the two sides is rescheduled for Tuesday, March 8th. All other round 16 matches will be played according to schedule.

Meteorologist are calling a temperature of  -15 Celsius in the Bialystok area. UEFA does not allow matches to be played out if the temperature is -15 or below Celsius.

Roy Carroll will not join Polonia Warszawa

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll will not join Polonia Warszawa.

The 33-year old keeper was suppose to show up today at Polonia Warszawa's training base for a trail but the Polish club resigned for the goalkeeper for a unknown reason.

According to unofficial reports, Polonia Warszawa's owner Jozef Wojciechowski resigned from the player because in the past, Carroll had problems with gambling and alcohol.

Polonia Warszawa are still testing AC Milan's Polish goalkeeper Michal Miskiewicz.

Ekstraklasa Spring Round Preview: Cracovia Krakow

League Position: 16th, eight points (2-2-11)

Friendly results: Kolejarz Stroze L 2-3, Warta W 2-0, Dolcan Zabki W 1-0, Zaglebie Sosnowiec W 3-1, NK Osijek L 1-0, FC Zbrojovka Brno W 1-0, Mash'al Muborak W 1-0, Wolyn Luck D 2-2, Shakhter Karagandy W 1-0

Next game: Feb 25th vs. Legia Warszawa

Arrivals: Piotr Giza (free transfer), Lukasz Nawotczynski (free transfer), Andraz Struna (FC Koper), Wojciech Kaczmarek (free transfer), Szymon Gasinski (Polonia Bytom), Bojan Puzigaca (FK Borac Banja Luka), Vule Trivunovic (Borac Banja Luka), Vladimir Boljevic (FK Zeta)

Departures: Dariusz Pawlusinski (contract expired), Marcin Cabaj (contract expired), Bartosz Slusarski (Lech Poznan), Radoslaw Matusiak (Asteras Tripoli), Tomasz Moskala (terminated contract), Lukasz Uszalewski (terminated contract), Piotr Polczak (Terek Grozny), Pawel Sasin (GKS Bogdanka)

Plus for: Upgrading their defense during the winter after allowing league-high 31 goals in 15 matches. They lost Piotr Polczak but added Andraz Struna, Vule Trivunovic, and Bojan Puzigaca.

Minus for: Not adding another striker. They lost top-scorer Bartosz Slusarski and also Radoslaw Matusiak. Cant win without scoring any goals

What to Expect: Cracovia was the worst during the first part of the current season losing almost everything and finally firing their coach Rafal Ulatowski. Nothing will chance this round. Cracovia will most likely get relegated to the First Division. One plus for Cracovia is their newly-reconstructed stadium which looks beautiful.

Player to Watch: Piotr Giza
Giza returns to Cracovia after three years with Legia Warszawa. Hes a hard working central midfielder or attacking midfielder. Had a decent winter camp with Cracovia.

Young Player to Watch: Mateusz Klich (20-years old)
Klich made 12 appearances assisting on one goal in the autumn round and will be a key player together with Piotr Giza in Cracovia's midfield.

Poles Abroad: Tuesday

UEFA Europa League

• Miroslaw Sznaucner played 90 minutes in PAOK Salonika's 1-1 draw with CSKA Moscow. The Russian side advance to the next round on a 2-1 aggregate. 

English League Championship

• Tomasz Cywka played 90 minutes and took three shots in Derby County's 1-0 loss to Hull City.

Ruch to land Polish striker from England?

Ruch Chorzow are close to signing a new striker. According to Gazeta Wyborcza Katowice, Charlton Athletic striker Pawel Abbott will arrive tomorrow in Chorzow to undergo medical tests.

Abbott is an English-born Polish striker who once made an appearance for the Polish U-21 national team scoring a goal. The 28-year old spend most of his career in England playing for Preston North End, Bury, Huddersfield Town, Swansea City, Darlington, Oldham Athletic and now Charlton Athletic.

Abbott began his footballing career as a youth player at LKS Lodz, before moving to Preston North End at the age of 19.

Tuesday Kickoff: Legia to play Borussia Dortmund, Lech's squad for Braga and more

Legia to play Borussia Dortmund
Legia Warszawa will play Borussia Dortmund on July 22 or 23 in a friendly match at the opening of a Euro 2012 base camp in Ostroda.

Lech's squad for Braga
Jose Mari Bakero took 19 players to Portugal for the second leg against Braga. Lech will be without Grzegorz Wojtkowiak and Tomasz Bandrowski who both are out due to injury.

Goalkeepers: Krzysztof Kotorowski, Jasmin Buric

Defenders: Marcin Kikut, Ivan Djurdjevic, Manuel Arboleda, Bartosz Bosacki, Seweryn Gancarczyk, Luis Henriquez, Hubert Wolakiewicz, Marcin Kaminski

Midfielders: Dimitrije Injac, Sergei Krivets, Jacek Kielb, Semir Stilic, Jakub Wilk, Mateusz Mozdzen

Forwards: Artjoms Rudnevs, Vojo Ubiparip, Bartosz Slusarski

Ghanaian defender tested by Legia
Ghana defender Seth Owusu has joined Legia Warszawa on trial.

The 22-year-old trialed out at French champions Marseille last year but was not offered a contract.

He earned a call-up into the Ghana squad that played Sudan on home soil last October in a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier but was not fielded.

Slawomir Peszko injured

Slawomir Peszko will not be able to play for a couple weeks due to injury. Orange Sport Info reports that Peszko torn a muscle bicep and will be sidelined for a couple of weeks.

Peszko did play on Saturday in FC Koln's 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim. The 26-year old midfielder spend 73 minutes on the field. Fellow Polish teammate Adam Matuszczyk is also injured.

Frank Smuda recently announced he will give Peszko another chance at the Polish national team. Peszko should be ready for Poland's upcoming friendlies if he receives a call up.

Poles Abroad: Monday

Turkish Super Lig

• Arkadiusz Glowacki played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Trabzonspor's 2-1 win over Manisaspor.

• Piotr Brozek spend the whole match on the bench in Trabzonspor's 2-1 win over Manisaspor.

• Pawel Brozek came off the bench in the 86th minute in Trabzonspor's 2-1 win over Manisaspor.

• Maciej Iwanski started and played 61 minutes in Manisaspor's 2-1 loss to Trabzonspor.

Must-See Goal: Michal Hubnik

Ekstraklasa Transfer Update

Legia sign Slovenian defender
Dejan Kelhar has officially joined Legia Warszawa. The Slovenian international has signed a 2,5-year contract with the Warszawa club. The 26-year old defender last played for Belgian side Cercle Brugge. He made his debut for the national team in a friendly match against Qatar on March 3, 2010.

Croatian defender signs with Lechia Gdansk
Lechia Gdansk have signed Croatian defender Luka Vucko to a half-year contract. Vucko last played for Turkish side Eskisehirspor.  The 26-year old made his international debut for Croatia in a friendly match against Estonia on May 26, 2010.

Former AC Milan and Manchester United goalkeepers arrive at Polonia's camp 
Michal Miskiewicz and Roy Carroll have arrived in Warszawa to undergo trials at Polonia Warszawa. Miskiewicz is currently on loan at Italian fourth division side Crociati Noceto but is still under contract with AC Milan. Roy Carroll is currently a free agent after terminating his contract with OB. Carroll is a former goalkeeper of Manchester United.

Weekend Review: Bundesliga

German magazine Kicker gave Lukasz Piszczek and Robert Lewandowski ratings of 3 for their performances in Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 win over St. Pauli on Saturday. Jakub Blaszczykowski did not play due to injury.

Slawomir Peszko received a rating of 4,5 for his performance in FC Koln's 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim on Saturday. Adam Matuszczyk did not play due to injury.

In the 2. Bundesliga, Sebastian Tyrala received a rating of 3 for his performance in Osnabruck's 3-1 win over Oberhausen on Sunday.

The newspaper gives out ratings on a scale from 1-6. 1 meaning a world-class performance and 6 meaning a very poor performance.

Sign up for PolandSoccer's Ekstraklasa Fantasy Football

Prove that your knowledge of the Ekstraklasa is superior to that of everybody else by drafting your 15-man fantasy squad, substituting and using your transfers wisely and following your team on a weekly basis from now on to the end of the season (May).

To register for Ekstraklasa Fantasy Football on wp.pl, click here.

After registering and choosing your squad, click here to join 'Poland Soccer" league and the code is 340564664.

Over at PolishScout, my friend Michal has already began a league which features more people. You can join any amount of leagues as you want. The code for his league is 111180893.

The Ekstraklasa Fantasy Football is unfortunately in Polish. If anyone needs help or has any question, feel free to leave a comment below or email me at adamkutarnia@interia.pl.

The fantasy begins on Friday the 25th of February.

Poles Abroad: The Week Ahead

Monday
Turkish Super Lig

• 1:00 PM EST- Arkadiusz Glowacki, Pawel Brozek and Piotr Brozek with Trabzonspor take on Manisaspor with Maciej Iwanski.

Tuesday
UEFA Europa League

• 12:00 PM EST- Miroslaw Sznaucner with PAOK Salonika take on CSKA Moscow.

English Championship 

• 2:45 PM EST- Tomasz Cywka with Derby County take on Hull City.

Wednesday
UEFA Europa League

• 12:00 PM EST- Paweł Kieszek with FC Porto take on Sevilla.

UEFA Champions League 

• 2:45 PM EST- Tomasz Kuczszak with Manchester United take on Marseille.

English Premier League

• 2:45 PM EST- Wojciech Szczesny with Arsenal take on Stoke City.

Thursday 
UEFA Europa League 

• 1:00 PM EST- Ludovic Obraniak with Lille take on PSV Eindhoven.

• 3:05 PM EST- Marcin Wasilewski with Anderlecht take on Ajax Amsterdam.

Friday
French Ligue 2

• 2:00 PM EST- Grzegorz Krychowiak with Stade de Reims take on Nantes.

Polish Cup: Lech Poznan 0:1 Polonia Warszawa

Lech Poznan 0:1 Polonia Warszawa
0:1 Manuel Arboleda 54' (own goal)

Lech: Krzysztof Kotorowski - Hubert Wolakiewicz (66. Tomasz Mikolajczak), Bartosz Bosacki, Manuel Arboleda, Luis Henriquez - Marcin Kikut (46. Siergiej Krivets), Dimitrije Injac, Rafal Murawski, Semir Stilic (77. Marcin Kaminski), Jacek Kielb - Artjoms Rudnevs.

Polonia: Sebastian Przyrowski - Jakub Tosik, Tomasz Jodlowiec, Maciej Sadlok, Dorde Cotra - Bruno, Patryk Rachwal, Lukasz Tralka, Artur Sobiech (90. Daniel Golebiewski), Adrian Mierzejewski (90. Janusz Gancarczyk) - Euzebiusz Smolarek (63. Milos Adamovic).

Second leg between the two clubs will be played on March 2nd.

0:1 Arboleda (own goal)

Video: Tyton's penalty kick save vs. FC Groningen

Tyton's penalty kick save starts at 4:07 in the video

Poles Abroad: Sunday

English FA Cup

• Wojciech Szczesny spend the whole match on the bench in Arsenal's 1-1 draw vs. Leyton Orient.

Scottish Premier League

• Lukasz Zaluska spend the whole match on the bench in Celtic's 3-0 win vs. Rangers.

Italian Serie A

• Artur Boruc played 90 minutes and made two saves in Fiorentina's 0-0 draw vs. Sampdoria.

• Kamil Glik played 90 minutes in Bari's 1-0 loss vs. Lazio.

German 2. Bundesliga

• Sebastian Tyrala started, played 78 minutes, recorded an assist, took one shot and received a yellow card in Osnabruck's 3-1 win vs. Oberhausen.  

French Ligue 1

• Ludovic Obraniak came off the bench in the 76th minute in Lille's 1-0 loss vs. Montpellier.

Turkish Super Lig 

• Mariusz Pawelek played 90 minutes in Konyaspor's 0-0 draw vs. Istanbul Buyuksehir BSK.

• Marcin Robak started but received a second yellow card in the 89th minute in Konyaspor's 0-0 draw vs. Istanbul Buyuksehir BSK.

More updates when matches go final

Video: Salamon's goal vs. Viareggio

Salamon's goal starts at 0:29 in the video.

Video: Jelen's goal vs. AC Arles-Avignon

Jelen's goal starts at 3:23 in the video

Jelen comes off the bench and scores

Ireneusz Jelen scored the equalizing goal for Auxerre in Saturday's 1-1 draw against AC Arles-Avignon. Jelen started the match on the bench but came on at halftime. The Polish striker nailed the equalizer in the 84th minute. It was Jelen's third goal of the season.

Fellow Polish teammate Dariusz Dudka played 90 minutes, took two shots and received a yellow card.

Auxerre now sits 16th in the French Ligue 1 standings with 26 points after 24 rounds.

Poles Abroad: Saturday

 English Championship

• Tomasz Cywka came off the bench in the 70th minute in Derby County's 0-0 draw with Scunthorpe United. 

• Radoslaw Majewski is currently serving a three game suspension and did not play in Nottingham Forest's 2-1 win over Cardiff City. 

English FA Cup

• Tomasz Kuszczak spend the whole match on the bench in Manchester United's 1-0 win over Crawley.

Scottish Premier League 

• Adrian Mrowiec did not dress in Hearts' 2-1 win over Dundee United.

German Bundesliga

• Robert Lewandowski started, played 87 minutes, received a yellow card and took five shots in Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 win over St Pauli. 

• Lukasz Piszczek played 90 minutes and took one shot in Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 win over St Pauli. 

• Jakub Blaszczykowski did not dress due to a injury.  

• Slawomir Peszko started, played 73 minutes and took one shot in FC Koln's 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim.

• Adam Matuszczyk did not dress due to injury. 

 Turkish Super Lig

• Michal Zewlakow played 90 minutes in Ankaragucu's 2-1 loss to Kasimpasa. 

Italian Lega Pro 1

• Bartosz Salamon played 90 minutes and scored a goal in Foggia's 4-0 win over Viareggio.  

Friendlies Recap: Saturday

 Wisla Krakow 4:1 FC Daugava (Latvia)
1:0 Patryk Malecki 27'
2:0 Lukasz Gargula 35'
3:0 Lukasz Gargula 39'
4:0 Kew Jaliens 69'
4:1 Valerijs Afanasjevs 89'

Wisla Krakow: Sergei Pareiko - Erik Cikos (55. Wojciech Lobodzinski), Kew Jaliens, Mateusz Kowalski, Dragan Paljic - Patryk Malecki (66. Lukasz Burliga), Cezary Wilk (42. Radoslaw Sobolewski), Tomas Jirsak (31. Lukasz Gargula), Maor Melikson (66. Andres Rios), Andraz Kirm - Tsvetan Genkov

--------------------
Legia Warszawa 3:1 Widzew Lodz
1:0 Michal Hubnik 6'
2:0 Michal Hubnik 28'
3:0 Alejandro Cabral 35'
3:1 Mindaugas Panka 46'

Legia Warszawa: Wojciech Skaba - Jakub Rzezniczak, Dejan Kelhar, Inaki Astiz, Jakub Wawrzyniak (66. Marcin Komorowski) - Manu, Ariel Borysiuk, Alejandro Cabral, Miroslav Radovic (66. Sebastian Szalachowski), Michal Kucharczyk (72. Bruno Mezenga) - Michal Hubnik

Widzew Lodz: Bartosz Kaniecki (41. Maciej Mielcarz) - Souheil Ben Radhia, Sebastian Madera, Jaroslaw Bieniuk (41. Ugochukwu Ukah), Dudu Paraiba - Adrian Budka (53. Piotr Grzelczak), Bruno Pinheiro (41. Lukasz Broz), Mindaugas Panka (72. Piotr Mrozinski), Riku Riski (41. Nika Dzalamidze), Paul Grischok (41. Rafal Grzelak) - Darvydas Sernas (62, Velibor Duric).

Matuszczyk injured in training

Adam Matuszczyk injured his ankle in Friday's training session and will be sidelined for three weeks.

Matuszczyk collided with teammate Simon Terodde during FC Koln's last training session before Saturday's match against Hoffenheim.

At the beginning it was feared to be a fracture, which would mean that Matuszczyk would not be able to play for two months. The first diagnosis was incorrect and Matuszczyk will only be out for three weeks.

-"In any case, it's still a big blow for us," said FC Koln coach Frank Schaefer.

Janczyk close to Korona Kielce

Dawid Janczyk is close to joining Korona Kielce. Janczyk and his agent arrived today in Kielce to sign a contract.

Janczyk is still a member of CSKA Moscow but is looking for a new club with playing time minutes. At the end of 2010, Janczyk was training with his former club Legia Warszawa but the club couldn't afford his price tag.

Janczyk was also rumored to be heading to Qatar and Israel at the end it was just rumors being rumors. In mid-January, Janczyk joined Krylia Sovetov on trial but Russian club decided not to sign the Pole.

Poles Abroad: Weekend Schedule

Saturday 
7:00 AM EST- Michal Zewlakow with Ankaragucu take on Kasimpasa.
9:30 AM EST- Lukasz Piszczek and Robert Lewandowski with Borussia Dortmund take on St Pauli.
9:30 AM EST- Adam Matuszczyk and Slawomir Peszko with FC Koln take on Hoffenheim.
10:00 AM EST- Adrian Mrowiec with Hearts take on Dundee United.
12:15 PM EST- Tomasz Kuszczak with Manchester United take on Crawley Town in the FA Cup.
1:00 AM EST- Ireneusz Jelen and Dariusz Dudka with Auxerre take on Arles.
2:00 PM EST- Jerzy Dudek with Real Madrid take on Levante.
2:45 PM EST- Przemyslaw Tyton and Matuez Prus with Roda JC take on FC Groningen.

Sunday 
7:30 AM EST- Lukasz Zaluska with Celtic take on Rangers.
9:00 AM EST- Artur Boruc with Fiorentina take on Sampdoria.
9:00 AM EST- Kamil Glik with Bari take on Lazio.
10:00 AM EST- Marcin Robak and Mariusz Pawelek with Konyaspor take on Istanbul Buyuksehir BSK.
11:00 AM EST- Ludovic Obraniak with Lille take on Montpellier.
11:30 AM EST- Wojciech Szczesny with Arsenal take on Leyton Orient in the FA Cup.
12:30 PM EST- Roger Guerreiro with AEK Athens take on Panionios.
2:30 PM EST- Marcin Wasilewski with Anderlecht take on KVC Westerlo.
2:45 PM EST- Blazej Augustyn with Catania take on Napoli.

Poles Abroad: Friday

• Kamil Grosicki started and played 68 minutes in Sivasspor's 2-1 loss to Eskisehirspor.

• Artur Wichniarek did not dress in FC Ingolstadt's 2-0 loss to SpVgg Furth.

• Grzegorz Krychowiak played 90 minutes in Stade de Reims' 3-1 win over Vannes OC.

• Michal Janota came off the bench in the 67th minute in Go Ahead Eagles' 1-0 win over FC Den Bosch.