The Polish national team is the rival of the Russian national football team in the 2022 World Cup play-offs, as they write in Poland, expert opinion
On the eve of the draw took place for the play-off matches for the World Cup. The first rival of the Russian national team will be the Polish team. The winner of the match will face the winner of the Sweden – Czech Republic match. How did Poland react to the draw?
Lokomotiv footballer Maciej Rybus believes that his team could get a more difficult path to the World Cup.
“We could have had a heavier net. In the end, fate helped the Polish national team a little. We could have gotten more serious contenders from among the criminals. The teammates from the Russian national team joked that we would meet in March. We will definitely talk about this again. I wonder where the first match will take place. Probably in Luzhniki, although the Russian national team recently played in St. Petersburg.
They have a new coach. Almost all the players play in the Russian championship, I know them very well. I saw their last match with the Croats – they defended with the whole team, but the weather conditions were very difficult. Typical water play. Anyway, I think that Russia has a very playing team, ”Sportowe Fakty quotes the Pole.
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Former footballer and now agent Mariusz Pekarski told how the Poles are able to win in Russia.
“In my opinion, we have players of a very high level in our squad. They play in stronger championships than Russian players. The opponents’ leaders – Golovin and Miranchuk – play in the top leagues, while other key players play in the domestic league. And this can become a problem for the Russian national team. The RPL will resume at the end of February, and it is possible that the players will not have time to get in optimal shape for the play-offs. Our guys will approach the game in a good rhythm, since they mainly play in the western leagues.
The advantage of the home field and the fans is on the side of the Russians, but I rate the Polish national team higher in terms of the level of football. If we come to Russia with faith in our own strength and correct tactical ideas, we will achieve success. The skill level of our players is higher than that of the Russian ones.
It’s very interesting if Golovin will play. In the last round of the qualifying round, he received a card. If the rules for the play-offs are not changed, then the absence of Golovin will greatly weaken the opponent.
Valery Karpin sings the Russian national team. In the past, he was a star footballer, and now he is a coach with charisma. He achieved good results in Rostov, and the team under his leadership showed good football. He will definitely watch our matches and find weak points. But I am sure that Paulo Sousa will also carry out the corresponding work, ”Pekarski said in an interview with Sport.pl.
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Polsat Sport commentator Bozidar Ivanov noted the changes in the Russian national team after the arrival of Valery Karpin.
“It will definitely be very difficult in Russia. However, the opponent does not have such stars as Lewandowski or Zielinski. There are a lot of footballers from the Russian championship, which is no longer as popular as it was several years ago. But Russia has a very balanced team. The arrival of Karpin changed the changes in the game, now Russia does not rely only on the physical aspect, as it was under Cherchesov. This is a more complex team, but Poland can handle it. This option is clearly better than Italy or Portugal. “
Polsat Sport expert Cesariy Kowalski said that the Russian national team lacks striker Artem Dziuba.
“Of course, the mesh is not the most difficult in comparison with all possible options. Yes, we are able to beat Russia. They have the kind of presence we have. On the other hand, remember the match with the Hungarians. They are no better than the Poles and no better than Russia, but their team beat Poland. I cannot say that Russia is a very favorable rival for us.
I have been watching the Russian team for a long time. We had a friendly match with her before Euro 2020. The team did not leave the group at the European Championship. Then Karpin came, who, when he was a football player, played for a long time in Spain. This change had a positive impact on the Russian national team. True, now Dziuba does not play in the team, and this is one of the two most productive footballers in the history of the team. It seems to me that its absence affects the effectiveness of Russians. This was noticeable in the match with Croatia, where Karpin’s team arranged a draw. “
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Former coach of the Polish national team Jerzy Engel was pleased with the result of the draw.
“We got the opponent we wanted. We were counting on the first match with Russia. This is a team that can beat Poland. It’s good that we got to Russia. They do not have such star football players as we do. Russia is in the process of restructuring as it recently changed its coach. Let me remind you that Cherchesov no longer flags the team. We were lucky with an opponent in the semifinals. For the first time, it is important to understand that at this stage there are no weak teams, and Poland will be away with the Russians. A victory in Russia would be an excellent result for us. “
Coach Tadeusz Pavlovsky believes that the opponents are equal in strength.
“Russia and Poland are teams of about the same level. The opponent has problems, the Russians played unsuccessfully at the Euro and then changed the coach. In their composition there are no big names, no world-class stars. A difficult match awaits us, especially since it will be held in Russia, but we can beat the opponent. It is important that Poland avoided meeting with Italy and Portugal. Had one of these teams taken out, our chances for the 2022 World Cup would be drastically reduced. “
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Former vice-president of Polish football Marek Kozminski associates and the political aspect of the upcoming match.
“In addition to the sporting issue, it will certainly include a political component, taking into account not the best relations between the countries. A hot away match awaits the players. It is a pity that we do not play in Warsaw, then our chances would have increased by 5-10 percent. However, I think everything could have turned out much worse, get us Italy. “
But the ex-footballer of the Polish national team Grzegorz Lato is unhappy with the draw.
“A difficult match with Russia awaits us. Moreover, meetings on their territory are always difficult for Poland. We were not among the seeded teams out of our own stupidity. We have a stronger team than we were in 2012, but the Russians also have an interesting team. To tell the truth, I was not satisfied with the draw. It turned out that we were able to meet with North Macedonia. “