As teams emerge from the tunnel and prepare to form lines, we are about to kickoff.
Austria may have suffered an opening-round loss against France, but they still stand a good chance at progressing further into this tournament – and their clash against Poland could prove pivotal for reaching the last-16 stage.
In this article, we will discuss the high lights or main points of Poland National Football Team vs Austria National Football Team Lineups.
As of January 30, 2025, the most recent match between the Poland and Austria national football teams took place on June 21, 2024, during the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament. Austria secured a 3-1 victory over Poland in this Group D encounter.
Starting Lineups:
Poland
| No. | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wojciech Szczęsny | Goalkeeper |
| 5 | Jan Bednarek | Defender |
| 3 | Paweł Dawidowicz | Defender |
| 14 | Jakub Kiwior | Defender |
| 19 | Przemysław Frankowski | Midfielder |
| 10 | Piotr Zieliński (c) | Midfielder |
| 24 | Bartosz Slisz | Midfielder |
| 6 | Jakub Piotrowski | Midfielder |
| 21 | Nicola Zalewski | Midfielder |
| 23 | Krzysztof Piątek | Forward |
| 16 | Adam Buksa | Forward |
Austria
| No. | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Patrick Pentz | Goalkeeper |
| 5 | Stefan Posch | Defender |
| 3 | Gernot Trauner | Defender |
| 15 | Philipp Lienhart | Defender |
| 16 | Phillipp Mwene | Defender |
| 6 | Nicolas Seiwald | Midfielder |
| 10 | Florian Grillitsch | Midfielder |
| 19 | Christoph Baumgartner | Midfielder |
| 20 | Konrad Laimer | Midfielder |
| 9 | Marcel Sabitzer | Midfielder |
| 7 | Marko Arnautović (c) | Forward |
Robert Lewandowski
Lewandowski is unquestionably the star of Poland’s squad, yet has missed both Euro 2024 matches with injury. After suffering a tear to the biceps femoris muscle against Turkey in their warm-up match, his return is sure to give them an added boost towards qualifying for the knockout stage of competition.
Even without Lewandowski in their ranks, Poland have played some impressive football thus far and will look to end their tournament on Friday by beating Austria. His presence will only add difficulty for Austria and could very well prove decisive between both teams.
After an uneventful first 45 minutes, Austria took the lead through Gernot Trauner’s header before Poland equalised with Krzysztof Piatek’s composed finish to create an exciting second period. Both teams will hope for another competitive encounter come half time.
Marko Arnautovic sends Szczesny the wrong way from the penalty spot, extending Austria’s lead to 3-1 and leaving Poland on the brink of elimination from their group stage, potentially extinguishing any hopes they had of finishing in the top two with France beating Netherlands later on Friday night.
Adam Buksa
Adam Buksa is one of Major League Soccer’s most promising strikers, and could prove an integral player for Poland in this tournament. After joining New England Revolution in 2020 and quickly adapting to their style of play he recorded 35 goals and seven assists across 73 contests before leaving to sign with French League 1 outfit Lens for an estimated $10 million transfer fee; his younger brother Aleksander currently plays with Wisla Krakow in Poland.
Polish national football team was first founded in 1919; however, World War I prevented them from playing their inaugural international match until 1922 against Sweden. Since then, Poland has experienced ups and downs when it comes to international performances but are now among one of Europe’s more consistent sides.
Fifa ranks their team 8th globally and they have made 9 out of the last 10 World Cups – qualifying in every instance except 2022 when they were knocked out early after losses to Senegal and Colombia in group play. Though they will hope for redemption at this tournament, it seems unlikely that they will advance beyond quarter-final status.
The national kit of Poland reflects its flag colors: white shirts with red shorts and socks. However, on special occasions the team also employs black or navy blue shirts. Between 1970 and 1986 was when Poland saw their greatest success at football – finishing runners-up at two World Cups and winning a gold medal at the 1972 Olympics under Kazimierz Gorski as coach; during which period Gorski became Poland’s all-time leading goal scorer during that timeframe and now serves as its all-time leading goal scorer all-time.
Jakub Moder
Friendships may have to take a backseat for the good of the match in Group D as friendships may come into play during Poland and Austria’s encounter. Both sides currently stand on three points after two matches; with Poland needing three wins against Austria while Austria still in pursuit of top two finish if France do not beat Netherlands in Dortmund.
Jakub Moder, one of Poland’s rising talents, may find his chances limited after joining Brighton & Hove Albion from Lech Poznan in 2020 but only making four substitute appearances under Fabian Hurzeler this season. Moder is expected to leave Brighton for Feyenoord with an eye towards more regular playing time;
However, Brighton player Thomas Brighton does possess his own strengths. The son of former professional wrestler has shown an ability to find the back of the net at times during Eredivisie play this term; additionally he was part of Poland’s squad that reached Euro 2022 semifinals where they lost against Germany.
Moder is expected to have difficulty earning playing time for his national team due to injuries and suspensions affecting key players; thus, Brighton’s midfielder may become an afterthought in fantasy contests if he doesn’t make the starting XI; nevertheless, he will be eager to show what he has learned against former club Ajax in their opening match against one another.
Krzysztof Piatek
Krzysztof Piatek has quickly established himself as one of the premier strikers in Europe. Joining Robert Lewandowski and Arkadiusz Milik as one of the game’s most lethal strike-forces, Genoa forward Piatek scored seven goals in just five Serie A matches this season to kick-start an outstanding start – garnering him international recognition with Poland.
Piatek is an exceptional goalscorer who can score with either foot from any spot in the penalty area. He can also finish off crosses, making him an intimidating presence to have on any team. Piatek makes for an invaluable addition.
Poland had an inauspicious start to their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, but managed to rally and qualify with style. They won six of their final nine group matches to finish second behind Germany and claim second spot overall; marking Poland’s highest finish at any major tournament for over fifteen years.
Piatek will bring another level of quality to Poland’s attack when they take on Austria in October, creating problems for their defense with his combination of power, speed, and technical skill.
Polish national football team has an enviable record in World Cup competition, winning bronze at 1974 and reaching quarter-finals of 2022 tournaments respectively. But their greatest triumph came during 1980 World Cup where they advanced all the way to semi-finals before narrowly being knocked out by West Germany.
While Poland have yet to win another major trophy since their victory at the 1974 World Cup, they have continued their strong performance at World Cup qualifiers and European Championships. Their recent successes can be attributed to hard work and dedication of players under current coach Marcel Smuda; with him restructuring the squad so as to increase chances of making an impressionful showing at next World Cup tournament.
Bartosz Salamon
As both teams look for their first victory in Group D, this match-up is of great significance. Poland are looking to bounce back after their poor start while Austria hope to find ways to create scoring chances. Here is what to expect in this Euro 2024 encounter.
Poland appear well-balanced despite Lewandowski’s absence, with Jan Bednarek and Jakub Kiwior set to lead their defense while Piotr Zielinski will direct midfield play – his ability will be essential in neutralizing Austria’s dangerous midfielders such as Sebastian Szymanski and Julian Baumgartner.
Krzysztof Piatek will join Adam Buksa up front. Feyenoord striker Piatek has been impressive, though for this game Napoli’s Marko Arnautovic could replace him.
As it pours down outside the stadium, an electric atmosphere has developed with many Polish fans receiving police escorts to enter. They bring with them flags, hats and songs as they head for Berlin Arena en masse.
Ralf Rangnick has made some tactical adjustments to his Austrian side following their defeat against France. The Bayern Munich manager will likely keep David Alaba in goal and form an attack around him with Marko Arnautovic being the main attacker but other elements such as wings or set pieces could potentially contribute goals too. Sabitzer wasted an early free-kick by shooting wide from 35 yards, which resulted in Austria having the upper hand for much of the opening half, yet their attacks remain relatively innocuous; so much so that Austria found themselves locked up at 0-0 at half time.
