Group E, consisting of Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and Sweden, could witness a photo-finish as three of the four teams reached the knockout stages in the 2016 edition. Three-time Euro champions Spain will be keen to impress as they couldn’t go beyond the Round of 16 in their last three major competitions. The Spaniards were unbeaten in their Euro 2020 qualifiers and made it to the last four of the ongoing UEFA Nations League by topping Group 4 in League A.
Robert Lewandowski-led Poland has struggled for consistency in big tournaments. They reached the last eight in 2016 but failed to make it out of the group stage in the 2018 World Cup. The Poles topped their pool in the Euro 2020 qualifiers, winning eight out of the ten games. However, they endured a disappointing outing in the Nations League. Three defeats in six fixtures forced them to settle for a third-place finish.
Sweden will be desperate to end their barren run in Euros as the Blagult hasn’t reached knockout stages in the last three editions. A second-place finish in Group F sealed their spot in Euro 2020. After a successful campaign in the qualifiers, a tough challenge awaited them in the Nations League. Sweden was relegated to League B as they picked up just three points in a group which included world champions France and Portugal.
Michal Duris’ extra-time goal against Northern Ireland steered Slovakia into their second successive Euros. They pipped Hungary to the third spot in Group E and defeated Republic of Ireland in penalties in the playoff semi-finals. But Slovakia was humbled in the Nations League after finishing bottom of Group 2 in League B.
Spain is likely to emerge group winners, and it could be a three-way battle for the second spot. Sweden has a better head-to-head record against Poland and Slovakia and has won all their fixtures in 2021.
UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifiers Stats
Goals scored/conceded
Poland – 18/5
Slovakia – 15/12
Spain – 31/5
Sweden – 23/9
Top goalscorers
Poland – Robert Lewandowski (6 goals)
Slovakia – Robert Bozenik, Marek Hamsik, Juraj Kucka (3 goals)
Spain – Alvaro Morata, Sergio Ramos, Rodrigo (4 goals)
Sweden – Robin Quaison (5 goals)
Euro 2020 Squads
Poland
Goalkeepers: Wojciech Szczesny, Lukasz Fabianski, Lukasz Skorupski
Defenders: Jan Bednarek, Bartosz Bereszynski, Kamil Glik, Michal Helik, Tomasz Kedziora, Kamil Piatkowski, Tymoteusz Puchacz, Maciej Rybus
Midfielders: Mateusz Klich, Kamil Jozwiak, Pawel Dawidowicz, Przemyslaw Frankowski, Kacper Kozlowski, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Karol Linetty, Jakub Moder, Przemyslaw Placheta, Piotr Zielinski
Forwards: Robert Lewandowski, Dawid Kownacki, Karol Swiderski, Jakub Swierczok
Slovakia
Goalkeepers: Martin Dubravka, Marek Rodak, Dusan Kuciak
Defenders: Milan Skriniar, David Hancko, Tomas Hubocan, Martin Koscelnik, Peter Pekarik, Lubomir Satka, Martin Valjent, Denis Vavro
Midfielders: Laszlo Benes, Ondrej Duda, Jan Gregus, Marek Hamsik, Lukas Haraslin, Jakub Hromada, Patrik Hrosovsky, Juraj Kucka, Stanislav Lobotka, Tomas Suslov, Vladimir Weiss
Forwards: Robert Bozenik, Michal Duris, Robert Mak, Ivan Schranz
Spain
Goalkeepers: David de Gea, Robert Sanchez, Unai Simon
Defenders: Jordi Alba, Cesar Azpilicueta, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Torres, Diego Llorente, Jose Gaya, Eric Garcia
Midfielders: Sergio Busquets, Thiago Alcantara, Rodri, Koke, Marcos Llorente, Dani Olmo, Fabian Ruiz, Pablo Sarabia, Ferran Torres, Adama Traore
Forwards: Alvaro Morata, Pedri, Gerard Moreno, Mikel Oyarzabal
Sweden
Goalkeepers: Karl-Johan Johnsson, Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Robin Olsen
Defenders: Victor Lindelof, Emil Krafth, Ludwig Augustinsson, Pierre Bengtsson, Marcus Danielson, Andreas Granqvist, Filip Helander, Pontus Jansson, Mikael Lustig
Midfielders: Emil Forsberg, Dejan Kulusevski, Jens-Lys Cajuste, Viktor Claesson, Albin Ekdal, Sebastian Larsson, Kristoffer Olsson, Robin Quaison, Ken Sema, Mattias Svanberg, Gustav Svensson
Forwards: Alexander Isak, Marcus Berg, Jordan Larsson
Group E Fixtures
Date |
Match |
Timing (IST) |
June 14 |
Poland vs Slovakia |
9:30 PM |
June 15 |
Spain vs Sweden |
12:30 AM |
June 18 |
Sweden vs Slovakia |
6:30 PM |
June 20 |
Spain vs Poland |
12:30 AM |
June 23 |
Sweden vs Poland |
9:30 PM |
June 23 |
Slovakia vs Spain |
9:30 PM |
*IST: Indian Standard Time
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