+ The stars
Robert Lewandowski, 37, and Piotr Zieliński, 31, scored the goals as Poland faced Albania on Thursday night. The Polish stars - who play for Barcelona and Inter - are a serious threat to the Swedish national team. It was Lewandowski and midfielder Zieliński who scored in 2022, when Poland won 2-0 in the crucial World Cup playoff in Chorzów, denying Sweden a spot.
There is also a young star in the Polish squad. Only 17-year-old Porto player Oskar Pietuszewski was brought on at half-time to make his national team debut against Albania and was part of the turnaround in the second half.
+ World Cup qualifiers
Poland finished second in their qualifying group, three points behind the Netherlands. The teams drew 1-1 in both their head-to-head matches, but Poland had already fallen behind after a major upset in Helsinki, where Finland won 2-1.
Poland won its other five matches in the qualifiers: Finland at home and both meetings with Lithuania and Malta.
+ Daily routine
Poland came from 0–1 down to win 2–1 against Albania in Warsaw. But despite the victory, Poland's performance received a lot of criticism afterwards.
"Sometimes it's better if the first match isn't a bed of roses. Regardless, everyone will approach the match against Sweden calmly and with the goal of doing their very best. We are a team that has to fight and run for it. It might be easier with an away match because then there is no pressure," Lewandowski told Polish TVP, according to Fotbollskanalen.
+ History
Sweden and Poland first met in 1922 and have faced each other in a total of 28 international matches over the years. The record is 15 Swedish victories, four draws and nine Polish victories.
At home, Sweden has not lost to Poland since 1930. Since then, there have been eight wins and two draws on Swedish soil.
The last meeting was Sweden's loss in the 2022 World Cup playoff, but the year before that Sweden won 3-2 in the European Championship playoff in St. Petersburg.
Another memorable encounter took place in Chorzów in 1989, when Sweden secured a place in the World Cup for the first time in twelve years. Johnny Ekström's solo goal (2–0) is a Swedish football classic.
While Sweden has missed out on two straight championships - the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 European Championship - Poland has a more impressive record of late. After missing out on the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the Poles have made it to five straight European and World Cup finals.
