Poland will be returning to the World Cup for the first time since 2006. They will now play against a very tricky Senegal side on Tuesday, in the final match of the first round. Senegal have only been to the World Cup once in the past, and they will try to repeat the success they had in 2002.
Senegal are far from an easy opponent, with a lot of players playing in the Premier League. Their biggest star is without a doubt Liverpool’s forward Sadio Mane. Monaco’s Keita, Everton’s Gueye, West Ham’s Kouyate and Napoli’s Koulibaly are also very good players. They made a name for themselves back in 2002, when they managed to reach the quarter-finals. This time around they had a very easy job in the qualifiers, finishing at the top of their group (4-0-2).
Poland easily topped their qualifying group (8-1-1), with Robert Lewandowski taking the top scoring award with 16. The burden falls on the shoulders of the Bayern Munich forward to carry his team in this tournament. He will be joined by Arkadius Milik, but an injury to the country’s star defender Kamil Glik will leave Poland vulnerable on the defense. Poland are in the World Cup for the 8th time in their history, and the first since 2006. Their best runs have taken them to the semi-finals twice (1974 and 1982).
