Poland ‘optimistic’ about Lewandowski knee injury
WARSAW: The Polish football federation said yesterday it was optimistic about Robert Lewandowski’s fitness after the captain left the field with a knee issue during the first half of the pre-Euro 2024 friendly win over Turkey.
Lewandowski, 35, was substituted after 33 minutes in Monday’s 2-1 victory, six days before the Poles’ tournament opener against the Netherlands on Sunday.
“We remain optimistic,” federation spokesperson Emil Kopanski told AFP.
Following the game with Turkey, coach Michal Probierz was also upbeat about the Barcelona forward’s chances of featuring in the European Championship.
“Robert Lewandowski suffered a small injury,” Probierz told reporters.
“There shouldn’t be a problem,” he added.
Despite the good news surrounding Lewandowski, Probierz has other injury worries.
Hellas Verona attacker Karol Swiderski sustained an ankle injury while celebrating the opening goal against Turkey.
Website meczyki.pl claimed Swiderski would be out for four days.
Juventus forward Arkadiusz Milik is also a doubt for Euro 2024, having suffered a knee injury in the warmup victory against Ukraine on Friday.
The Italian club said Milik had undergone minor surgery, without stating the length of his absence.
Poland are in Group D at Euro 2024 and after the Netherlands they face Austria and France.
Meanwhile Czech Republic said their midfielder Michal Sadilek will miss Euro 2024 after injuring his shin in a cycling accident in Austria.
The 25-year-old Twente Enschede player suffered the injury during the Czech national team’s training camp in the mountain resort of Schladming on Saturday.
“Michal Sadilek had an unfortunate crash during a bicycle ride and suffered a lacerated wound on his shin,” national team spokesman Petr Sedivy said.
The Sport daily said that Sadilek fell while riding a tricycle down a hill in Schladming, where an Alpine skiing World Cup event is held every year.
It added that Sadilek, Sparta Prague defender Ladislav Krejci and Hoffenheim defender David Jurasek had rented tricycles to descend from the Planai mountain. Sadilek hit a hole, crashed and an ambulance was called at once, Sport said, adding the injury required 65 stitches.
The Czechs face Portugal in their opening Group F match on June 18 before playing Georgia and Turkey.