Poland had some bad news to share a few days before their UEFA Euro 2024 debut. On Tuesday, the team confirmed Robert Lewandowski will miss the opening match against the Netherlands due to injury.
Following the friendly win over Turkey on Monday, team doctor Jacek Jaroszewski claimed in his medical report that the FC Barcelona striker will not be available for selection on Sunday, June 16:
“Robert Lewandowski suffered a torn biceps femoris muscle, which will exclude him from participating in the first match of the tournament. We are doing everything so that Robert can play in the second match, against Austria”.
The idea is the 35-year-old can make it to the Matchday 2 fixture against Austria, scheduled for Friday, June 21. Four days later, Poland will play France in the group stage finale.
Robert Lewandowski of Poland is runs with the ball under pressure from Valeriy Bondar of Ukraine during the international friendly match between Poland and Ukraine at Stadion Narodowy on June 07, 2024 in Warsaw, Poland.
Lewandowski not the only injured during Poland’s win over Turkey
Lewandowski set off the alarms only 31 minutes into the friendly against Turkey, asking to be subbed off as he looked in pain with a muscle injury. Unfortunately, backup striker Arkadiusz Milik got injured in the previous friendly and has already been ruled out for the Euros.
But to make things worse, Swiderski picked up an injury in strange fashion as he got hurt while celebrating Poland’s first goal against Turkey only 12 minutes into the match, following an assist by Lewandowski.
This puts coach Michal Probierz in a very tough spot ahead of Euro 2024, with the Pole national team manager missing three forwards for the debut against the Netherlands.
Martin O'Donnell is a bilingual sports writer fluent in English and Spanish, with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. Since joining Bolavip in February 2021, he has extensively covered soccer, NFL, and NBA, specializing in real-time coverage of major events such as the World Cup, UEFA Champions League finals, and the Super Bowl. Martin’s prior experience includes managing social media for the CONMEBOL Libertadores and Sudamericana in English and reporting on Brazilian football for Sambafoot. At Bolavip, he is known for his meticulous coverage during critical sports seasons—covering trades, playoffs, and finals—and for keeping a close eye on soccer icons Lionel Messi at Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. His attention to detail and ability to capture breaking news have made him a valuable asset to the team.
