Mateusz Klich has been selected in Poland’s squad, for the European Championship this summer. The midfielder has been just about an ever-present for both Leeds United and his national side in recent years, and will now be at the heart of the midfield for The Eagles as they embark on their Euro’s journey. 

Klich played 70 minutes in a friendly against Russia last week, a match that finished 1-1 as both teams looked to step-up their preparations for the tournament. Jakub Swierczok’s first half goal for the Red and Whites was courtesy of an excellent ball by Klich in the build-up.

Their final pre-tournament fixture is against Iceland on Tuesday evening, before kicking off their group matches on Monday 14th June. 

Who is in charge of Poland? 

Paulo Sousa is in charge of the Polish national side and he is a name that is well known within English football. Sousa has managed Queens Park Rangers, Swansea City and Leicester City in short spells during a 16-year managerial career. 

As a player, the former defensive midfielder represented Portugal over 50 times and can boast an impressive CV, having played for a number of high profile clubs such as Benfica, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan, amongst others. 

He has been in his current post since January 2021. 

Who are Poland playing?

Facing Klich and his teammates in Group E will be some tough opponents, but they will be amongst the front runners looking to qualify. Supported by the world-class ability and goals of Robert Lewandowski, Klich’s eye for a pass will be needed against all three opponents in games that could be tight. 

Monday 14th June, 2021 - Saint Petersburg Stadium, St Petersburg  

Poland vs Slovakia - 17:00

Saturday 19th June, 2021 - Estadio La Cartuja, Seville 

Spain vs Poland - 20:00

Wednesday 23rd June, 2021 - Saint Petersburg Stadium, St Petersburg 

Sweden vs Poland - 17:00

How many times has Mateusz Klich played for Poland?

Klich progressed his way through the younger age groups, where he played for the Under-18s, Under-19s, Under-20s and Under-21s before making the step up to the senior team. 

He made his debut against Argentina in 2011, a 2-1 victory for his side. Klich’s first goal for his national side was in 2013 against Denmark. He has now played for Poland over 30 times and is a regular in the current starting line-up. 

Last time out: Euro 2016

In a group alongside Germany, Northern Ireland and Ukraine, Poland finished second in the standings and progressed to the knock-out stages with a record of two wins and a draw.  

They were to be knocked out in the quarter-final by eventual winners, Portugal. A 1-1 draw during the 90 minutes took the game to extra time, before a penalty shoot-out went the way of Portuguese. 

Who else is in the squad? 

Lukasz Fabianski (West Ham), Wojciech Szczesny (Juventus), Lukasz Skorupski (Bologna)

Jan Bednarek (Southampton), Bartosz Bereszynski (Sampdoria), Pawel Dawidowicz (Verona), Kamil Glik (Benevento), Michal Helik (Barnsley), Tomasz Kedziora (Dynamo Kyiv), Kamil Piatkowski (Rakow Czestochowa), Tymoteusz Puchacz (Lech Poznan), Maciej Rybus (Lokomotiv Moskva)

Przemysław Frankowski (Chicago Fire), Kamil Jozwiak (Derby), Mateusz Klich (Leeds), Kacper Kozlowski (Pogon Szczecin), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Lokomotiv Moskva), Karol Linetty (Torino), Jakub Moder (Brighton), Przemyslaw Placheta (Norwich), Piotr Zielinski (Napoli) 

Dawid Kownacki (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Arkadiusz Milik (Marseille), Karol Swiderski (PAOK), Jakub Swierczok (Piast Gliwice)