U-21 Euro 2013 Qualifying: A closer look

The Polish U-21 national team began their road to the Under-21 European Championships drawing a though  qualifying group. Poland drew Russia, Portugal, Albania and Moldova.

In the first match of Group 6, Poland defeated Albania 3-0. Polania Warszawa's Lukasz Teodorczyk scored twice, while Legia Warszawa's Ariel Borysiuk put the icy on the cake in stoppage time. In their second match, Poland were shutout by the Russians 2-0.

Poland's next opponent is Portugal. The two sides will meet on October 6th in Portugal. Five days later, Poland will face Albania. 

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Here is Poland's roster the for next two qualifying matches: 
GK- Lukasz Skorupski (Gornik Zabrze), Filip Kurto (Wisla Krakow)

D- Maciej Wichtowski (Warta Poznan), Piotr Malarczyk (Korona Kielce), Mateusz Matras (Piast Gliwice), Pawel Olkowski (Gornik Zabrze), Pawel Oleksy (Zawisza Bydgoszcz)

M- Lukasz Tyminski (Jagiellonia Bialystok), Damian Aldas (KS Polkowice), Milosz Przybecki (Polonia Warszawa), Tomasz Kupisz (Jagiellonia Bialystok), Kamil Drygas (Lech Poznan), Mateusz Klich (VfL Wolfsburg), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Bordeaux), Ariel Borysiuk (Legia Warszawa)

F- Michal Kucharczyk (Legia Warszawa), Artur Sobiech (Hannover 96), Pawel Wszołek (Polonia Warszawa)

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Poland are looking to qualify for the tournament for the first time since 1994, where they were knockout by Portugal in the quarterfinals.

Polish Cup: Round of 16 is set

The Polish Cup will resume on October 18th with 16 Polish clubs fighting for Poland's most prestige cup. In the most interesting match-up, defending champions Legia Warszawa will play Widzew Lodz

Round of 16 will be played between October 18-20. Wisla Krakow and Legia Warszawa will have their fixture changed due to Europa League matches.   

Round of 16
Legia Warszawa - Widzew Lodz
Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala - Slask Wroclaw
Ruch Zdzieszowice - MKS Kluczbork
Polonia Bytom - Lech Poznańn
Arka Gdynia - Polonia Warszawa
Ruch Chorzow - Cracovia Krakow
Gryf Wejherowo - Gornik Zabrze
Limanovia Limanowa - Wisla Krakow

Poles Abroad: Europa League Rewind

Artur Sobiech made his Europa League debut, while Lukasz Zaluska made his start in between the pipes for Celtic since August 13th.

Here's how the Poles fared in the Europa League on Thursday:

• Miroslaw Sznaucner spend the whole match on the bench in PAOK Saloniki's 2-2 draw with Rubin Kazan.

• Artur Sobiech came off the bench in the 77th minute in Hannover's 2-1 win over Vorskla.

• Przemyslaw Tyton (injured) did not dress in PSV's 3-1 win over Rapid Bucuresti.

• Lukasz Zaluska played 90 minutes in Celtic's 1-1 draw with Udenese. Penalty kick allowed by Zaluska

• Marcin Wasilewski played 90 minutes and recived a yellow card in Anderlecht's 2-0 win over Lok. Moscow.

• Roger Guerreiro started and played 56 minutes in AEK Athens' 2-1 loss to Sturm Graz. 

Radovic's winner vs. Hapoel Tel Aviv

Late Radovic winner lifts Legia past Hapoel

Miroslav Radovic's 89th minute goal gave Legia Warszawa their first points in Group C after a 3-2 win over Hapoel Tel Aviv.

The first half was dominated by the Israeli side. Toto Tamuz gave the visitors the lead in the 34th minute. After the break, Legia equalized thanks to Danijel Ljuboja's 67th minute strike. Five minutes later, Radovic was brought down inside the penalty area and Marcin Komorowski scored from the penalty spot.

In the 80th minute, Hapoel drew level after sub Lala scored with a header. However, in the dieing moments of the match, Miroslav Radovic scored to give Legia life in Group C.

Legia: Dusan Kuciak - Artur Jedrzejczyk, Michal Zewlakow, Marcin Komorowski, Jakub Wawrzyniak - Miroslav Radovic, Ivica Vrdoljak (46. Janusz Gol), Ariel Borysiuk, Moshe Ohayon (46. Michal Zyro), Maciej Rybus (82. Rafal Wolski) - Danijel Ljuboja.

Hapoel: Edel Apoula - Omri Kende, Bevan Fransman, Mario Pecalka, Gal Shish - Mirko Oremus (84. Walid Badier), Nosakhare Igiebor, Shay Abutbul, Abbas Mahmmoud (12. Salim Toama) - Omer Damari (76. Mahran Lala), Toto Tamuz. 

Twente crushes Wisla 4-1

FC Twente scored four unanswered goals after giving up an early strike in a 4-1 rout over Wisla Krakow.

Wisla took the lead in the 9th minute, thanks to Dudu Biton's strike from just outside the penalty box. However, Twente stroke back in the 32nd minute when Luuk de Jong flick the ball into Wisla's net from a free-kick. Things got worst for Wisla just before halftime, as Marc Janko gave Twente a 2-1 lead.

In the 57th minute, Marc Janko scored his second of the night to give Twente a 3-1 lead. The Dutch side took a 4-1 lead in the 80th minute thanks to Willem Janssen.

After two matches, Wisla Krakow sit dead-last in Group K with zero points.

Twente: Mihaylov - Rosales, Wisgerhof, Douglas, Tiendalli - Brama, de Jong, Landzaat (83. Fer) - John (83. Berghuis), Janko (68. Janssen), Bajrami.

Wisla: Pareiko - Lamey, Chavez, Jaliens, Junior Diaz - Nunez (84. Brud), Sobolewski - Kirm, Jirsak (68. Wilk), Iliev (68. Paljic) - Biton.

Smuda to leave Poland after Euro 2012

Poland national team head coach Frank Smuda has revealed that he will leave the Polish national team coaching job after Euro 2012.

Smuda will not agree to a contract extension after Euro 2012. However, Smuda's contract reads that if Poland qualify for the knockout phase, Smuda will automatically have his contract renewed until 2014 World Cup in Brazil. 

"Whatever happens after Euro 2012, I will no longer work with the Polish national team. I rather get a coaching job at a club," said Smuda.

Smuda blames stress and nervous which came into play while coaching a national team.

Legia vs. Hapoel Tel Aviv Preview

Legia Warszawa are determined to keep their perfect record against Israeli teams as they welcome Hapoel Tel Aviv to Poland's capital.

Both clubs lost their opening matches of Group C. Legia lost 1-0 in the hands of PSV Eindhoven and Hapoel lost 1-0 at home to Rapid Bucharest.

Legia came into this match as a healthy team expect for injuries to Michal Hubnik and Jakub Kosecki. Ivica Vrdoljak, Manu and Michal Kucharczyk are all ready for go for the clash.

Legia's rival Hapoel Tel Aviv will be without their star midfielder Avihai Yadin, who is suspended after being shown a red card against Rapid Bucharest. 

What is your prediction for this match?

Poland to play Portugal in Warszawa

The Polish national team will make its debut on their new home stadium against Portugal on February 29th.

The match isn't officially booked, but PZPN spokesperson Agnieszka Olejkowska has confimred via twitter that both sides are in next-level talks. 

The National Stadium in Warszawa will be Poland's new home ground after Euro 2012. The stadium is suppose to be finished by November of this year. Legia Warszawa and Wisla Krakow will play the first match on the new stadium on February 11th for the Polish SuperCup.

Twente vs Wisla Krakow Preview

Wisla Krakow will look to bounce back from their opening Group K defeat to Odense when they travel to Holland to take on FC Twente.

Wisla dropped three points in Odense two weeks ago in a 3-1 defeat, while Twente drew 1-1 with Fulham in England.

Entering this match, Wisla will be without two of their main stars. Maor Melikson and Patryk Malecki were both injured in Wisla's 3-2 in over GKS Belchatow on Sunday. Also, striker Tsvetan Genkov wont be available for this match as hes recovering from an injury he suffered in the Lech Poznan match.

On the other side, Twente will be without Rasmus Bengtsson and Nacer Chadli. Both players are out due to injuries. After seven matches this season, Twente sit second in the Eredivisie with 16 points.

What is your prediction for this match?

Grzegorz Rasiak signs with Jagiellonia

Former Poland national team striker Grzegorz Rasiak has signed a two-year contract with Jagiellonia Bialystok.

Rasiak will wear the number "47" on his back and should make his debut this upcoming Saturday against Zaglebie Lubin.

Rasiak returns to Poland after playing seven years abroad. Rasiak left Dyskobolia Grodzisk to play for Derby County in 2004. Since then, Rasiak played for Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Bolton Wanderers, Watford, Reading and his last stop was AEL Limassol. 

Sobolewski rejects Smuda's offer

Wisla Krakow midfielder Radoslaw Sobolewski has rejected Frank Smuda's offer of returning to the Polish national team.

Sobolewski retired from international football in 2007 after only 32 appearances, shocking Polish football fans by doing so as it was just three days after Poland's 2:0 win over Belgium which ensured their passage to Euro 2008.

"I talked to Sobolewski, but he wouldn't change his mind," said Smuda.

Smuda is still looking around for new players in the Ekstraklasa, who can help out the Polish national team. Only five Ekstraklasa-based players were called up for the upcoming friendlies.

"Sometimes I spend all night looking at Ekstraklasa rosters but trust me, there aren't much players that I can look at," Smuda adds.

Would you like to see Sobolewski back in the Polish NT?

Smuda finalizes squad four upcoming friendlies

Poland head coach Frank Smuda has finalized his squad for the upcoming South Korea and Belarus friendlies.

Only five Ekstraklasa players were called-up by Smuda. Janusz Gol, Patryk Malecki, Szymon Pawlowski and Cezary Wilk are the only players left off from the previous squad.

Here is Poland's full roster for the upcoming South Korea and Belarus friendlies:

Goalkeepers: Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal), Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal)

Defenders: Arkadiusz Glowacki (Trabzonspor), Dariusz Dudka (Auxerre), Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht), Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund), Damien Perquis (Sochaux), Tomasz Jodlowiec (Polonia Warszawa), Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warszawa), Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (Lech Poznan)

Midfielders: Ludovic Obraniak (Lille), Adam Matuszczyk (FC Koln), Slawomir Peszko (FC Koln), Eugen Polanski (FSV Mainz), Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund), Adrian Mierzejewski (Trabzonspor), Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan), Maciej Rybus (Legia Warszawa)

Forwards: Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund), Pawel Brozek (Trabzonspor)

What do you think about this roster?

Melikson and Malecki out for Wisla

Wisla Krakow will be without two superstars for a extended period of time.

Maor Melikson suffered a foot injury in Wisla Krakow's 3-2 win over Ruch Chorzow on Sunday. Melikson will most likely be out until December.

"Maor has a bad feeling. He had a similar injury when he played in Israel and had to undergo surgery. If it's the same, he will be out until December," said coach Robert Maaskant.

Patryk Malecki limped off the field with a twisted ankle in the same game, which coach Robert Maaskant described as "looking like a balloon". Malecki will definitely miss Thursday's Group K trip to FC Twente and, with extensive swelling, no date has been set for Malecki's return.

What do you think of both injuries?

Wisla, Legia to open National Stadium

The National Stadium in Warszawa will make its debut on February 11th, when Legia Warszawa play Wisla Krakow for the Polish SuperCup.

The SuperCup match between the league champions and Polish Cup champions was postponed this year due to not having a place to play. The match was suppose to be played in Ostroda but the mayor of Ostroda canceled the match due to concerns about fan safety.

Another match will most likely be played at the National Stadium before May 8th. Legia Warszawa or Polonia Warszawa are planning to host a home match there. 

Grosicki's assist vs. Bursaspor

Kamil Grosicki delivered an assist in Sivasspor's 3-0 win over Bursaspor on Sunday.

Grosicki's assist vs. Ankaragucu

Kamil Grosicki recorded an assist in Sivasspor's 2-1 win over Ankaragucu on Thursday.

Piszczek nets game-winner for Borussia

Lukasz Piszczek's first career goal at Borussia Dortmund came at the right time.

Piszczek fired the winner in the 90th minute with a low shot from the edge of the penalty box. The ball bounced three times before reaching the back of the net.

It was Piszczek's first career goal for Borussia and it came at the right time, when Borussia are desperate for three points.

Robert Lewandowski delivered an assist to Borussia Dortmund's first goal. Lewandowski's touch reached Ivan Perisic, who blasted the ball into the back of the net. Lewandowski started and played 76th minute and also took four shots on goal.

Jakub Blaszczykowski started the match on the bench but came on in the 86th minute.

Here is Piszczek's game-winner:


Here is Lewandowski's assist:

Janota scores third goal of the season in Eagles' win

Michal Janota scored his third goal of the season in Go Ahead Eagles' 2-1 win over Maastricht on Friday.

Janota opened the scoring in the 9th minute, giving Eagles a 1-0 lead. Janota was also shown a yellow card while playing the full 90 minutes.

After seven league matches, Go Ahead Eagles sit 11th in the Jupiler League with nine points.

Janota's goal is the first highlight in the video:

Smolarek scores game-winning goal for Al-Khor

Former Poland national team striker Ebi Smolarek opened his Qatar scoresheet with a game-winning goal in Al-Khor's 2-1 win over Al Gharafa.

Smolarek blasted the game-winner in the 90th minute. The former Polonia Warszawa striker started and played the full 90 minutes.

It was Smolarek second match of the season. In the first match, Smolarek started and played 72 minute and was kept off the scoresheet.

Here is Smolarek's first goal in Qatar:

Smuda calls in foreign-based players

Poland national team coach Frank Smuda has announced his first batch of call-ups for the upcoming friendlies; so far, only players from foreign-based teams have been named.

Here is the squad Frank Smuda has called into camp for the Polish national team's upcoming friendlies vs. South Korea and Belarus:

Goalkeepers: Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal), Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal)

Defenders: Arkadiusz Glowacki (Trabzonspor), Dariusz Dudka (Auxerre), Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht), Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund), Damien Perquis (Sochaux)

Midfielders: Ludovic Obraniak (Lille), Adam Matuszczyk (FC Koln), Slawomir Peszko (FC Koln), Eugen Polanski (FSV Mainz), Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund), Adrian Mierzejewski (Trabzonspor)

Forwards: Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund), Pawel Brozek (Trabzonspor)

What do you think of the squad? Who are you happy to see get a call? Who are you disappointed to not see on this list?

Share your thoughts below.

U-21 roster set for upcoming qualifiers

Poland U-21 head coach Stefan Majewski has called up an 18-men roster for Poland's upcoming Euro U-21 qualifiers against Portugal and Albania.

Here's Poland's roster: 

G- Lukasz Skorupski (Gornik Zabrze), Filip Kurto (Wisla Krakow). 

D- Maciej Wichtowski (Warta Poznan), Piotr Malarczyk (Korona Kielce), Mateusz Matras (Piast Gliwice), Damian Aldas (KS Polkowice), Pawel Olkowski (Gornik Zabrze), Pawel Oleksy (Zawisza Bydgoszcz). 

M- Lukasz Tyminski (Jagiellonia Bialystok), Milosz Przybecki (Polonia Warszawa), Tomasz Kupisz (Jagiellonia Bialystok), Kamil Drygas (Lech Poznan), Mateusz Klich (VfL Wolfsburg, Germany), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Bordeaux, France), Ariel Borysiuk (Legia Warszawa), Pawel Wszolek (Polonia Warszawa). 

F- Michal Kucharczyk (Legia Warszawa), Artur Sobiech (Hannover 96, Germany)

Poland play Portugal on October 6th and Albania on October 11th. 

Smuda's plans for this weekend

The Polish national team coaching staff will be very busy this weekend observing Polish players in the Ekstraklasa. Smuda will make his final observations before he announces his Polish league call ups on Monday.

On Friday, Hubert Malowiejski will travel to Wroclaw to watch Slask play Lech Poznan. Frank Smuda will travel to Bielsko-Biala to watch Podbeskidzie play Lechia Gdansk.

On Saturday, Smuda will watch Gornik Zabrze take on Cracovia Krakow. Goalkeeping coach Jacek Kazimierski will travel to England to watch Arsenal take on Bolton Wanderers.

On Sunday, Smuda will travel to Krakow to watch Wisla take on Ruch Chorzow. Also on Sunday, Hubert Malowiejski, Jacek Zielinski and Jacek Kazimierski will travel to Warszawa to watch Polonia take on Korona Kielce.

Boenisch inching closer to resuming Werder training

Poland national team defender Sebastian Boenisch is inching closer to returning to training.

Boenisch will resume training with Werder in about two weeks. For now, Boenisch has been training individuality in a special client in Dusseldorfie. His last examination has shown that his leg is great.

Frank Smuda is anxiously awaiting for the return of Boenisch. During Boenisch's absence, the left back position has been weak. Smuda tried out Jakub Wawrzyniak but the Legia Warszawa defender came out poorly.

Melikson not ready to play for Poland

Wisla Krakow midfielder Maor Melikson has decided not to play for the Polish national team for now, but will also turn down a recall by Israel.

"I decided that I'm not ready at the moment to play for Israel or for the Polish national team," Melikson told WislaKrakow.pl

Melikson has dominated Polish media headlines after PZPN announced that Melikson wants to play for the Polish national team.

"This is a personal decision which has nothing to do with the criticism I have faced," said Melikson.

The 26-year old faced an avalanche of criticism in Israel for rejecting his homeland. According to reports, Melikson received death threats via email and text messaging.


"I decided that it would not be fair to the Polish fans if I played in the Polish national team, as well, in the current situation, if I went back to Israel squad," he added.

Who should Smuda call up for October friendlies?

The Polish national team returns to action in about two weeks with a pair of international friendlies, meaning Frank Smuda will soon be announcing his call ups.

Smuda will announce the foreigners call ups on Friday and will complete his roster on Monday.

Projected Poland NT Roster for October Friendlies

GK- Wojciech Szczesny, Lukasz Fabianski

D- Kamil Glik, Damien Perquis, Arkadiusz Glowacki, Marcin Wasilewski, Lukasz Piszczek, Tomasz Jodlowiec, Jakub Wawrzyniak

M- Ludovic Obraniak, Adam Matuszczyk, Dariusz Dudka, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Eugen Polanski, Adrian Mierzejewski, Rafal Murawski, Maor Melikson, Cezary Wilk, Slawomir Peszko

F- Robert Lewandowski, Pawel Brozek, Patryk Malecki, Ireneusz Jelen

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Frank Smuda has already decided to go with Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski. He may still call up Grzegorz Sandomierski as the third-string keeper.

The defense stays the same expect for Lukasz Piszczek making his return to the Polish NT. Piszczek's ban was overturned on Wednesday.

Eugen Polanski is healthy again and should return to the NT. One suprise in my projected squad is Maor Melikson. My guess is that he will be called up but wont debut until the Belarus game.

Ireneusz Jelen is finally seeing some playing time at Lille. Could we expect a return to the NT?

What do you think of the squad? Who is missing that you would like to see added to the list? Who is on the squad that you are surprised to see included?

Poland to play Belarus at BRITA-Arena

The friendly match between Poland and Belarus will be played at the BRITA-Arena in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Brita-Arena is the home to German third division side SV Wehen. The stadium, which opened in 2007 can hold up to 12,500 people.

Poland chose to play in Germany as the match had to be played away and its going to be closer for players playing abroad to their hometown clubs.

Lato: I secretly met with Melikson

On Tuesday evening, Polish Football Federation president Grzegorz Lato announced that Wisla Krakow midfielder Maor Melikson wants to play for the Polish natioanl team.

How did you persuade Melikson to play for the Polish NT?
Lato: We met in secret place in Krakow. I wanted this meeting to be without journalists and cameras. Wisla Krakow president Bogdan Basalaj only knew about this meeting. Melikson asked for time and this week, he called me saying he wants to play for Poland.

Will Frank Smuda call up Melikson for the upcoming October friendlies? 
Lato: Thats the coaches decision if he wants to check out Melikson now. I talked with Smuda about this topic but you have to remember that a Jewish holiday is observed on October 7th, the same day as we play South Korea. Thats why the Israeli national team doesn't play on that day. I also don't know if Melikson would like to make his debut on that day. I will get everything straighten out when I return from Cyprus.

Poland remains at 65 in latest FIFA rankings

The latest FIFA World Rankings are out, and the Polish national team's position is unchanged.

Frank Smuda's side remained at No. 65 in the world, despite drawing 1-1 with 20-ranked Mexico and 2-2 with 3rd-ranked Germany.

Poland's next opponent South Korea sits 29th in the world and Belarus sit 56th.

PZPN overturns Piszczek's ban, will return to the Polish NT

Polish Football Federation said a disciplinary tribunal overturned Lukasz Piszczek's six-month ban from the Polish national team and will allow the Borussia Dortmund defender to return to the Polish national team.

On July 29th, Piszczek received a one-year ban from Polish football and suspended for three years over a 2006 match-fixing scandal at his former club Zaglebie Lubin.

"In our view, borne out by the facts, his involvement in this case arose from a desire for gain," said tribunal chairman Wlodzimierz Glowacki.

"But in mitigation, he reminded us he was young, did not play any organisational role and did not play in the match. He was open and honest about this, that he acted out of thoughtlessness and due to a high-pressure environment," adds Glowacki.

Piszczek will be called up to the Polish natioanl team by Frank Smuda for the October friendlies.

What do you think about Piszczek's return to the Polish NT?

Breaking News: Melikson wants to play for Poland

PZPN president Grzegorz Lato has revealed that Wisla Krakow midfielder Maor Melikson wants to play for the Polish national team.

"I talked with Maor and he declared that he wants to play for the Polish national team. His call up is just a matter of time," said Lato.

Melikson is still eligible to represent Poland as he never played a match for points with the Israeli national team. However, he made two appearances, scoring two goals but both were friendlies.

Tomasz Rzasa, who is the new director of media for the Polish NT said that Melikson's agent called him, asking if Melikson could play for the Polish national team.

Melikson joined Wisla Krakow during last seasons winter transfer window. He automatically became a star in the Ekstraklasa, leading Wisla to the league title.

What do you think of this development?

Fabianski will start for Arsenal in Carling Cup match

Poland national team goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski will make his official return from a broken shoulder on Tuesday, as he has been selected to start for Arsenal in their Carling Cup clash against Shrewsbury.

Fabianski has been sidelined for seven months since suffering a broken shoulder as he was warming up with Wojciech Szczesny before a match.

Wojciech Szczesny was not called up for the match. Kick-off is set for 2:45 PM EST.

Five more matches for Smuda in 2011

Polish Football Federation has confimred that the Polish national team will play Belarus on October 11th in Germany.

The match against Belarus will most likely be played in Mainz but nothing is official yet. Why Mainz? Well the Polish national team will be returning to Poland from South Korea through Frankfurt.

Four days earlier, Poland will play South Korea at the World Cup Stadium in Seoul. The match will begin at 7 am eastern.  

On November 11th, Poland will play Italy in Wroclaw. Four days later, Poland will most likely play Russia in Poznan. The match will become official if Russia doesn't have to play in the Euro 2012 qualification playoffs. If Russia is unavailable for the match, then Poland will most likely play Ireland.

On December 16th, Poland will play one match during their training camp in Turkey. The match will feature only Ekstraklasa-based players. Poland will play Croatia, who will also play with their league players.    

Lechia Gdansk to built a new soccer complex

Lechia Gdansk will built a new soccer complex worth 60 million zloty in Bystrej, just outside of Gdansk.

The new complex will be one of the best in Poland. It will feature five full-sized soccer fields, couple smaller fields, a boarding school, and a fitness room. In the future, a medical center and a hotel will be built.

Construction work will start in the second half of 2012. The project should be finish in about three years.

Smuda to call up Fabianski

Poland national team head coach Frank Smuda will call up Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski for the October friendlies.

Smuda will also call up Wojciech Szczesny. Both Arsenal keepers will split the two friendlies. Szczesny will play 90 minutes against South Korea, while Fabianski plays 90 minutes against Belarus.

Fabianski last national team appearance was against Ivory Coast on November 17, 2010 in a 3-1 win.

Poland takes on South Korea on October 7th and Belarus on October 11th.

Smuda watches Podbeskidzie-Ruch, then flies to Germany

On Saturday evening, Poland national team head coach Frank Smuda was spotted watching Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala take on Ruch Chorzow.

The match wasn't quite interesting but Smuda still decided to observe some players. Also, the match didn't feature any national team members. One player Smuda could have watched was Ruch striker Maciej Jankowski, who scored the only goal in the match.

On Sunday morning, Smuda left Poland and flew over to Germany to watch Borussia Dortmund take on Hannover 96. The match featured four Poles. Artur Sobiech made his league debut for Hannover but was send off in the 90th minute. 

Smolarek debuts in Qatar

Former Polish natioanl team striker Ebi Smolarek made his league debut for Al-Khor in Qatar.

Smolarek was featured in the starting lineup. The former Polonia Warszawa striker was replaced in the 73rd minute.
 
Al-Khor won the opening match of the season 2-0 against Al-Jaish.  

Sobiech sees red in debut

Poland national team striker Artur Sobiech was shown a red card in the 90th minute in Hannover's 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund on Sunday.

Sobiech, who was making his Hannover debut, came off the bench in the 83rd minute.

Sobiech was given the red card after fouling Borussia's Antonio da Silva from behind. The referee, without any hesitation showed Sobiech a red card.

Lewandowski's assist vs. Hannover

Tyton serious injured in PSV's draw

PSV goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton left the pitch on a stretcher with a serious concussion after a collating with team-mate Timothy Derijck in the 30th minute.

Tyton was taken to the neurology department at Eindhoven hospital and is being kept there for observations. A scan of his skull and neck showed no fractures.

Poles Abroad: Saturday

English Premier League

• Wojciech Szczesny played 90 minutes and made two saves in Arsenal's 4-3 loss to Blackburn.

English Championship

• Tomasz Cywka started and played four minutes in Derby County's 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest.

• Radoslaw Majewski played 90 minutes in Nottingham Forest's 2-1 loss to Derby County.

Scottish Premier League

• Adrian Mrowiec played 90 minutes in Hearts' 2-0 win over St Mirren.

Italian Serie B

• Blazej Augustyn played 90 minutes in Vicenza's 4-2 loss to Cittadella.

German Bundesliga

• Adam Matuszczyk spend the whole match on the bench in Koln's 4-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

• Slawomir Peszko started, played 77 minutes and received a yellow card in Koln's 4-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

• Eugen Polanski started and played 67 minutes in Mainz's 3-1 loss to Kaiserslautern.

French Ligue 1

• Dariusz Dudka played 90 minutes in Auxerre's 1-1 draw with Caen.

• Grzegorz Krychowiak came off the bench in the 88th minute in Bordeaux's 3-2 loss to Toulouse.

• Ireneusz Jelen came off the bench in the 86th minuet in Lille's 2-2 draw with Sochaux.

• Ludovic Obraniak came off the bench in the 74th minute in Lille's 2-2 draw with Sochaux.  

• Damien Perquis played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Sochaux's 2-2 draw with Lille.  

Dutch Eredivisie

• Pawel Kieszek played 90 minutes in Roda's 5-0 loss to Vitesse.

Cywka starts and plays four minutes in debut

Tomasz Cywka's season debut literally only lasted four minutes.

Cywka started the match but was replaced in the fourth minute after Derby's goalkeeper Frank Fielding received a red card and the backup goalkeeper had to make his way in.

However, Derby County won 2-1 against Nottingham Forest. Fellow Pole Radoslaw Majewski played the full 90 minutes for Forest.

Cywka, who waited 7 match-days to make his season debut was embarrassed by Derby coach Nigel Clough.

Poland to play Belarus in October

Four days after playing South Korea in Seoul, the Polish natioanl team will play Belarus in a friendly match.

Both sides have agreed on the match but right now, their trying to find a stadium to play the match on. Both matches are during the FIFA schedule.

"99 percent we will play Belarus on October 11th. Both federations agreed on this date beacuse Belarus don't play a Euro 2012 qualifying match and we're looking for a friendly rival," said Konrad Pasniewski, director of the Polish national team.

What do you think about this friendly?

Dudek emerges as candidate for Cracovia job

Former Poland national team goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek has emerged as a candidate for the Cracovia Krakow sporting director job.

The job is now open after Tomasz Rzasa left Cracovia for the Polish national team. The former Cracovia Krakow sporting director is now responsible for contacts with the media for the Polish national team.

Couple of days ago, Polish media has started to speculate that Jerzy Dudek is considering hanging up the boots. Dudek has not comment on this rumor.

Papikyan not interested in Poland

17-year old Aghvan Papikyan was born in Poland but does not take into consideration of one day playing for the Polish national team.

Papikyan is associated with LKS Lodz since the beginning of his career. He made it past the club's youth system and now, as a 17-year old teen, signed a one-year professional contract with LKS.

Few, however, expected that Papikyan will win a place in the starting lineup so early. -"He's very talented, and has a promising future," said LKS Lodz coach Michael Probierz.

The idea of Papikyan playing for the Polish national team was brought up by former player Jacek Bednarz. However, Papikyan does not hold a Polish passport, although he was born in Poland. He could apply for a Polish passport but according to the player's father, Papikyan is right now only interested in playing for the Armenian youth national team.

Papikyan has already debuted for the Armenian U-17 national team and scored a goal against Czech Republic in a qualifying match.

Poland U-18 natioanl team coach Wladysław Zmuda is not interested calling up the 17-year old Papikyan to his national team.

"If he doesnt have a Polish passport, then theres no idea of calling him up," said Zmuda.

But Zmuda has confimred that if Papikyan becomes a Pole, then he'll travel to Lodz to watch him play.

What do you think about this situation?

Poles Abroad: Europa League Rewind

Here is how the Poles Abroad who were involved in the Europa League on Thursday fared:

• Miroslaw Sznaucner spend the whole match on the bench in PAOK Salonika's scoreless draw with Tottenham. 

• Artur Sobiech did not dress in Hannover's scoreless draw with Standard Liege.

• Przemyslaw Tyton played 90 minutes and made four saves in PSV's 1-0 win over Legia Warszawa.

• Ivo Pekalski played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Malmo's 4-1 loss to AZ Alkmaar.

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

• Marcin Wasilewski played 90 minutes in Anderlecht's 4-1 win over AEK Athens.

• Roger Guerreiro spend the whole match on the bench in AEK Athens' 4-1 loss to Anderlecht. 

Wisla Krakow trip in Europa League debut

Krakow -- Wisla Krakow began their Europa League campaign with a 3-1 lose to Odense BK.

Andreas Johansson opened the scoring in the 36th minute with a weak shot from inside the penalty box which just slipped under Sergei Pareiko's hands.

After a weak first half, Wisla Krakow came out energized in the second half. Andraz Kirm put Wisla Krakow on the board in the 54th minute, scoring a similar goal like Andreas Johansson.

In the 81st minute, Odense took the lead thanks to Peter Utaka's open net goal. Wisla Krakow players stopeed playing after mishearing the referee's whistle after Pareiko was though to be fouled trying to catch the ball in the air.

In the dieing moment of the match, Odense put the back of the net once more. Rasmus Falk scored after taking the ball away from Chavez inside the penalty box and shooting from a wide angle, which just past by Pareiko.   

Wisla: Sergei Pareiko - Michael Lamey, Kew Jaliens, Osman Chavez, Dragan Paljic - Gervasio Nunez (84. Lukasz Gargula), Radoslaw Sobolewski (88. Junior Diaz) - Andraz Kirm, Maor Melikson, Ivica Iliev (84. Patryk Malecki) - David Biton.

Odense: Stefan Wessels - Espen Ruud, Anders Moeller Christiansen - Tore Reginiussen, Bernard Mendy (46. Rasmus Falk) - Andreas Johansson, Eric Djemba-Djemba, Chris Soerensen, Rurik Gislason (90. Christian Soerensen) - Hans Henrik Andreasen - Peter Utaka (82. Djiby Fall).

0-1 Johansson


1-1 Kirm


1-2 Utaka


1-3 Falk

A peek at Gornik Zabrze's new stadium

In 2011, Polish soccer fans have seen the opening of beautiful new soccer stadiums in Poland. Lechia Gdansk opened PGE Arena, Legia Warszawa opened Pepsi Arena and Slask Wroclaw opened Stadion Miejski in Wroclaw.

Now, Gornik Zabrze are ready to built their own, new beautiful stadium. A first stage of renovation was approved for 150 million zlotys, and is to hold 24,000 spectators. Three stands will be opened by the end of April 2013. Completed stadium will have capacity of 32,000.

What do you think about Gornik's new stadium?

Legia fall 1-0 to PSV in Europa League debut

Legia Warszawa came up short by one goal to Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in the opening match of Group C in the Europa League.

PSV went in front in the 21st minute thanks to an excellent finish from Dries Mertens. The Belgium winger hit an instinctive shot from the corner of the area which flew high into the net.

Legia Warszawa also created chances but could not get the ball passed Polish goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton, who made four saves in the match. 

PSV: Przemysław Tyton - Stanislav Manolev, Marcelo, Wilfred Bouma, Erik Pieters - Georginio Wijnaldum, Ola Toivonen (89. Orlando Engelaar), Kevin Strootman - Dries Mertens, Tim Matavz, Jermain Lens (73. Funso Ojo)

Legia: Dusan Kuciak - Artur Jedrzejczyk, Michal Zewlakow, Marcin Komorowski, Jakub Wawrzyniak - Manu (46. Miroslav Radovic), Ariel Borysiuk, Janusz Gol (66. Michal Zyro), Ivica Vrdoljak, Maciej Rybus (81. Jakub Kosecki) - Danijel Ljuboja

PSV 1-0 Legia (Mertens)

Wisla Krakow vs. Odense Preview

Wisla Krakow begin their 2011/2012 Europa League campaign at home against Danish side Odense. Kick-off is set for 3:05 PM EST.

Wisla Krakow will play without Bulgarian striker Tsvetan Genkov, who is injured. Dudu Biton is expected to take over Genkov's position. Wisla had a scare that Maor Melikson and Radosław Sobolewski would not be able to take part in this clash due to yellow cards but UEFA erased both mens accounts.

Wisla Krakow qualified for the group phase of the Europa League after being knocked out of the Champions League in the play-off round by Cyprain side APOEL.

On the other side, Odense's new signing Djiby Fall will be available after being granted a work permit but Jacob Schoop and Kalilou Traore will miss the match due to injures while Bashkim Kadrii is suspended.

A Wisla Krakow-Odense Liveblog will kick-off at 3:00 PM EST on PSB.

What is your prediction for this match?

Video: Wisla Krakow begin Europa League Journey

PSV vs. Legia Warszawa Preview

Legia Warszawa travel to Holland to take on PSV Eindhoven in the first match on Group C. Kick-off is set for 1:00 PM EST.

Legia Warszawa face some injury problems before they square-off against PSV. Michal Hubnik and Michal Kucharczyk are both definitely out of the clash. Both Manu and Dicksona Choto are a game-time desicion while Danijel Ljuboja trained individually on Wednesday but should be ready for the match.

To qualify for the group phase, Legia Warszawa went through some trouble. Legia started off their Europa League campaign with a 1-0 win over Gaziantepspor. Miroslav Radovic's first leg goal decided the whole series. In the play-off round, Legia played Russian side Spartak Moscow. In the first leg, Legia drew 2-2. However, in the second leg, Legia won 3-2 thanks to Janusz Gol's 92nd minute goal. 

As for Legia's rival, PSV Eindhoven will be without midfielder Atiba Hutchinson but defender Timothy Derijck is available after being ineligible for the play-off round against SV Ried.

Also, Polish natioanl team goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton will start in goal for PSV on Thursday.

What is your prediction for this match?

Poles Abroad: Champions League

• In the shocker of them all, Turkish side Trabzonspor defeated Italian giants Inter Milan 1-0 in Italy. Arkadiusz Glowacki started and played the full 90 minutes. Pawel Brozek spend the whole match on the bench while Adrian Mierzejewski served his one-game suspension for receiving a red card in the qualifying match. Piotr Brozek was not registered for the group phase. 

• OSC Lille tied 1-1 with CSKA Moscow. Ludovic Obraniak started and played 76 minutes. Ireneusz Jelen, who is still waiting to make his debut, spend the whole match on the bench. 

• Manchester United slipped and drew 1-1 with Benfica. Polish keeper Tomasz Kuszczak did not dress for the match. 

Barcelona coach asks about Bartosz Salamon

Brescia midfielder Bartosz Salamon is being linked with a dream move to Barcelona.

Barcelona head coach Pep Guardiola, a former Brescia midfielder himself, visited his old club during preseason and was impressed by 20 year-old Salamon.

"On Sunday, I received a phone call from Gianluca Nani and he revealed that Guardiola saw Salamon play and fell in love with this game," said Italian agent Bernardo Vitale Brovarone.

The 20-year old is a first-choice this season for Bresica. He spend last season with Foggia on loan.