Slovakia defender Milan Skriniar will be tasked with stopping Poland’s Robert Lewandowski, as the record-breaking Bayern Munich striker sets out to prove his quality at a major tournament. Zielinski took over Hamsik’s role as the midfield general at Napoli in 2019 when Slovakia’s all-time top goalscorer left Italy to play in China. Following Zielinski’s emergence there, Polish fans now expect him to take a leading role at the Euros. So far, Poland have failed five out of six times to win their opener at a major tournament in the 21st century, despite being tipped to win in most of those matches. Underdogs Slovakia have qualified for major tournaments only twice this millennium – but they made it through the group stage both times.

Source: The Star June 13, 2021 23:16 UTC