Updated 15.26
POLAND HAVE BEEN dealt a big blow ahead of Sunday’s critical Euro 2016 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland after attacker Arkadiusz Milik was ruled out of the game due to injury.
The 21-year-old Ajax striker has scored six times in the Poles’ qualification campaign but was replaced after 63 minutes of his side’s famous 2-2 draw with Scotland on Thursday evening because of a hip complaint.
But he hasn’t been able to shake it off in time and will be forced to sit out tomorrow’s crucial clash.
Poland will also be missing Maciej Rybus and midfielder Tomasz Jodlowiec.
The former was replaced with 20 minutes to go at Hampden Park while Jodlowiec picked up a knock after coming on for Milik.
The injury problems for Poland are in stark contrast to the Republic of Ireland. Martin O’Neill should welcome Seamus Coleman back into his starting XI while Marc Wilson could also return too.
Glenn Whelan is expected to come into midfield after missing the Germany victory because of suspension.
Unlike the anti climatic article about Podolski being out of the IRE v GER match this is actually great news for Ireland because Milik is a star in the making!
Surely Whelan won’t come back into the team, we need offensive midfielders who can find players in dangerous positions with a pass not a player whose first thought is to pass it back to the keeper.
So happy went whelan wasn’t playing. Hopefully that was the incentive the coaching staff needed to have him dropped.
This.
“went Whelan wasn’t playing”
We shouldn’t always celebrate when the opposition are missing players. We have just beaten the world champions so we shouldn’t be afraid of Poland. Who are they anyway? What have they ever won? Take Lewandowski out of their team and they are very ordinary. With that I’d class Thomas Muller as a far superior player to Lewandowski and we kept him scoreless in Thursday.
But it’s good news though. So we celebrate.
If you watched Poland when they played us in Dublin you’d know who milik was. He was the tall lad who ran the show in the first half – before McClean went through him.
Not celebrating his injury but it is definitely good news for us.
Also muller and lewandowski are very different players but lewandowski is the best finisher in the world right now.
They way you say we beat the world champions you’d think we bossed the game dominated the game completely in reality we defended well and got a lucky break
I was at the Poland game in the Aviva so I know exactly who he is but I’m still not celebrating him missing the game. That shows a bad mentality.
Far superior player?? He only scored five goals against Wolfsburg the other week.
Wolfsburg, so what!! Just because he’s on a bit of a scoring run at the moment doesn’t mean he’s a great player.
Not forgetting the 4 he scored against Madrid a few years ago. He’s been scoring goals consistently now for a few years.
but they still have lewandowski it will only take him 9 minutes to end Ireland’s qualification hopes
But we have Shane Long! Shur we’ll be grand!
Bet you didn’t think we would beat Germany.
Your having a bad day Matt.
Milik’s out but Grann Whezan’s probably in.