Euro 2020 team profile: Group E – Poland, Sweden and Slovakia

POLAND

poland national football team

Head coach: Paulo Sousa (Portuguese)

Captain: Robert Lewandowski

Most capped player: Robert Lewandowski (118)

Top scorer: Robert Lewandowski (66)

FIFA ranking: 21

European Championship appearances: 3 (first in 2008)

Best run: Quarter-finals in 2016

Group rivals: Spain, Sweden, and Slovakia

Key players: Robert Lewandowski, Wojciech Szczesny, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Kamil Glik, Maciej Rybus, Przemasław Frankowski, Arkadiusz Milik, Krzysztof Piątek, Bartosz Bereszynski.

Status: Poland are a solid side. They have one of the best strikers in the world in the person of Robert Lewandowski. 

They have also found a quality in Paulo Sousa and with the Portuguese at the helm, they will be hoping to better their best-ever European Championship result of a quarter-final exit at the hands of Portugal in 2016, this year.

Verdict: Expect them to rival Spain for the top spot or finish second at worst.

READ: Who are the Golden Boot Favorites Ahead of the Euros?

SWEDEN 

sweden national football team

Head coach: Janne Andersson (Swede)

Captain: Andreas Granqvist

Most capped player: Anders Svensson (148)

Top scorer: Zlatan Ibrahimović (62)

FIFA ranking: 18

European Championship appearances: 7 (first in 1992)

Best run: Semi final (1992)

Group rivals: Spain, Poland, and Slovakia.

Key players: Martin Olsen, Andreas Granqvist, Victor Lindelöf, Mikael Lustig, Emil Forsberg, Albin Ekdal, Alexander Isak Robin Quaison

Status: Since taking charge of Blågult in 2016, Janne Andersson has overseen the renaissance of the Swedish national football team. He steered them to a first World Cup tournament in 12 years winning a UEFA Nations League group with both Russia and Turkey in it. 

Sweden have been a solid group and are capable of scaling through the group with Spain, but they must pass through, not only the overwhelming group favorites but a very tough Poland team that is also more than capable of going the mile.

Verdict: Expect them to rival Spain for the top spot or finish second at worst.

SLOVAKIA

slovakia national football team

Head coach: Štefan Tarković (Slovak)

Captain: Marek Hamšík

Most capped player: Marek Hamšík (126)

Top scorer: Marek Hamšík (26)

FIFA ranking: 36

European Championship appearances: 2 (first in 2016)

Best run: Round of 16 (2016)

Group rivals: Spain, Poland, and Sweden

READ: Euro 2020 team profile: Group E – Spain

Key players: Marek Hamšík, Milan Škriniar, Juraj Kucka, Róbert Mak, Stanislav Lobotka, Michal Ďuriš, Róbert Boženik

Status: Making only their second appearance in the European Championship, Slovakia will be having it all to do as they battle with some of Europe’s best-placed teams.

They will be looking to better their achievement of 2016 when they lost 3-0 to Germany in the last 16 round, in their first-ever appearance at the Euros. There’s no hiding the fact that they’re faced with a daunting task.

Verdict: Expect them to finish bottom of the group.