A match neither side can afford to lose.
The final round in the group stages of the European Championships will decide which of the four teams in Group A will qualify for the next stage of the competition.
All eyes will be on the Wroclaw Municipal Stadium where the Czech Republic and Poland both go into their last group fixture knowing that nothing other than a win can guarantee qualification for the next round of the competition.
It is a match, which the co-host nation, Poland, will be determined to win, however, the Czech Republic seem to have recovered from their humiliating defeat at the hands of the Russians. With only three points separating first placed Russia from fourth placed
Greece the second qualifying spot is anyone’s to take.
Czech Republic
After being hammered by Russia in their opening match of the competition. The score line read 4 – 1 in favour of the Russians on the day, however Michal Bilek’s side managed to put in a more assured performance in their second match of the competition where
they held off a late onslaught by Greece to scrape through with a 2-1 win.
The Czechs now sit in second place in Group A with three points, however, Poland sit on two points and although a draw would be enough for the Czechs to qualify for the knock-out stages they would have to rely on Russia winning their last match as well.
Team News:
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Czech-Republic-c2882’s most creative player, Tomas Rosicky, remains a doubt for the match as the player is desperately trying to recover from an Achilles injury he picked up in the previous match against Greece.
Bilek will likely give Rosicky a late fitness test in order to determine whether or not the player will able to take part in the match against Poland or not.
Poland
The co-host nation, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Russia-c2991, the side know that only a win will secure qualification
to the next round – a feat they will desperately want to achieve in front of their home crowd.
Both results were 1-1 draws as the Polish side frustrated the opposition for long spells during their respective matches. It is a tactic that the side looked set to employ against the pacey Czechs but at the same time attempting to snatch a one goal lead
and defending it for the remainder of the match may prove to be risky against a side such as the Czechs.
Team News:
Similar to the Czech Republic, the Polish side are also waiting on a late fitness test for midfielder http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Eugen-Polanski-c12957, who is suffering from a bruised knee. The side has other injury concerns as well yet none are more pressing than their midfield dynamo.
Player to Watch
Milan Baros: The former http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 striker has been quiet so far in the tournament yet his experience may be the difference during what is sure to be a nerve wracking fixture.
Verdict: Poland may just knick this one seeing how they will have the overwhelming majority of support in the stadium, however anyone hoping to see more than the odd goal during this match can call himself an optimist.
Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the editorial policy of Bettor.com in any way.
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