FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - International Friendly - Poland v Turkey - National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland - June 10, 2024 Poland's Robert Lewandowski is consoled by Jan Bednarek after sustaining an injury REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo
HAMBURG, Germany (Reuters) - Unheralded Adam Buksa has been entrusted with leading Poland’s attack in the absence of talisman Robert Lewandowski as they take on the Netherlands on Sunday in the opening Group D clash at the European Championship in Germany.
The 27-year-old Buksa has six goals in 18 appearances and has some tough boots to fill after Lewandowski, with 82 goals in 150 appearances for Poland, went off with a right thigh injury against Turkey in a friendly last Monday.
Kacper Urbanski, 19, makes his first start for Poland on the attacking flank after only two appearances as a substitute, having won his first cap in the warm-up friendlies earlier this month.
The Dutch, hit by injuries in the midfield, will have the relatively inexperienced Tijjani Reijnders in a playmaking role with Joey Veerman behind him in the centre of their line-up but there were no surprises in coach Ronald Koeman’s selection.
Teams
Poland: Wojciech Szczęsny, Bartosz Salamon, Jan Bednarek, Piotr Zielinski (C), Taras Romanczuk, Jakub Kiwior, Adam Buksa, Przemysław Frankowski, Sebastian Szymanski, Nicola Zalewski, Kacper Urbanski.
Netherlands: Bart Verbruggen, Virgil van Dijk (C), Nathan Ake, Stefan De Vrij, Xavi Simons, Memphis Depay, Cody Gakpo, Tijjani Reijnders, Joey Veerman, Denzel Dumfries, Jerdy Schouten.
(Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Clare Fallon)
