Poland announce squad for SA tour

Poland national team coach Leo Beenhakker has announced a full strength squad for the central European countries' upcoming trip to South Africa.

The 'White Eagles' are set to play against 'Bafana Bafana', on June 6 (Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg) and Iraq on June 9 (Athlone Stadium, Cape Town). Beenhakker has put together a squad of 22, and placed another 8 on a stand-by list.

Players to watch

Key players in the squad include strikers Pawel Brozek and Ireneusz Jelen, both of whom have been scoring good goals of late. Jelen, of French side AJ Auxerre, packs a powerful shot and was the scorer of a scorcher of a goal against Paris St. German last week.

 

He is however, doubtful for the trip as he is set to undergo an operation on July 1.

 

Brozek has played for all his country's national teams and is a leading striker for title contenders Wisła Kraków in the Polish league - the Ekstraklasa.

 

Arsenal golakeeper Lukasz Fabianski takes over from Glasgow Celtic stopper Artur Boruc as first choice last line of defence. Boruc continues to be overlooked after his dismal display against Northern Ireland in March.

 

Fabianski played well in the Londoners' last match of the league against Manchester after a terrible showing against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final encounter recently.

 

He gets the nod over Manchester United's Tomasz Kuszcak, who has not featured much in Alex Ferguson's plans this season.

Controversial choice

Beenhakker has defended his controversial decision in calling up Jakub Wawrzyniak, who is facing the possibility of charges for using banned substances.

 

The Greece-based Panathanaikos FC defender recently failed two successive drug tests, claiming that he used the drugs for weight loss. Beenhakker says that the Polish FA, better known as the PZPN, has not as yet received any legal documentation in this regard and therefore this does not preclude him from including the player in the team to face the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts.

 

Lech Poznan midfielder Tomasz Bandrowski has sup[risingly been placed on the stand-by list, but is expected to make the squad should Jelen pull out.

 

Poland, who have moved up a notch from  39 to 40 on FIFA's World Rankings, will stay in South Africa for 10 days.

 

Full squad:

Goalkeepers: Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal), Lukasz Zaluska (Dundee United), Sebastian Przyrowski (Polonia Warszawa)

 

Defense: Marcin Wasilewski (R.S.C. Anderlecht), Dariusz Dudka (AJ Auxerre), Michal Zewlakow (Olympiakos CFP), Tomasz Jodlowiec (Polonia Warszawa), Bartosz Bosacki (Lech Poznan), Jakub Wawrzyniak (Panathinaikos FC), Jacek Krzynowek (Hannover 96)

 

Midfield: Mariusz Lewandowski (FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Lukasz Tralka (Polonia Warszawa), Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan), Roger Guerreiro (Legia Warsaw), Rafal Boguski (Wisla Krakow), Slawomir Peszko (Lech Poznan)

 

Strikers: Ireneusz Jelen (AJ Auxerre), Dawid Nowak (PGE GKS Belchatow), Euzebiusz Smolarek (Bolton Wanderers), Pawel Brozek (Wisla Krakow), Robert Lewandowski (Lech Poznan), Marek Saganowski (Southampton FC) 

 

Reserves: Adam Stachowiak (Odra Wodzislaw), Jakub Rzezniczak (Legia Warsaw), Piotr Polczak (Cracovia Krakow), Piotr Brozek (Wisla Krakow), Tomasz Bandrowski (Lech Poznan), David Janczykn (SC Lokeren), Lukasz Sosin (Anorthosis Famagusta), Jakub Wilk (Lech Poznan)