WP SportoweFakty / Mateusz Czarnecki / In the photo: Wojciech Szczęsny
The friendly match against Latvia may be the first in over a year in which Wojciech Szczęsny will not guard the Polish national team’s goal. Michał Probierz is under pressure to give the sensational Marcin Bułka a chance.
Wojciech Szczęsny he stood between the posts for the White and Reds in 13 consecutive matches. It’s a streak he’s never had before in his career. Thanks to it, he broke Łukasz Fabiański’s record and became the goalkeeper with the most appearances for the Polish national team.
Fernando Santos is behind this, and he… broke an unwritten custom Polish national team In the June friendly match against Germany (1-0), he chose Szczęsny, and not – as his predecessors did – on one of the reserve goalkeepers.
The Portuguese surprised the Juventus goalkeeper with this. – Honestly, I thought I wasn’t playing. Before the match, I was convinced I wouldn’t play. I arrived at the stadium and it was a bit of a surprise, Szczęsny admitted after the match.
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But Santos is no longer in the squad, and before Michał Probierz first friendly match. If the 51-year-old follows in the footsteps of his predecessors and tests one of “Szczena’s” substitutes against Latvia, he will not play in the national team match for the first time since November 16 last year and the dress rehearsal before the World Cup – a friendly match against Chile (1-0).
On the one hand, the match against Latvia is Poland’s last one before the March play-offs to advance to Euro 2024. On the other hand, if not there, when would Touchstone check the substitutes? He is number “2” in the frame Łukasz Skorupski. but the selector may be tempted to bet on Marcin Bułka.
The 23-year-old is making a splash in Ligue 1. He was unbeaten in 9 of 12 league games and allowed only four goals in the remaining ones. All of France admires the OGC Nice goalkeeper.
– It presents the appropriate level in each element. I don’t see anything that is obviously much weaker in his game. I don’t know if it can be said that he is the number one goalkeeper in Ligue 1, because there are several specialists playing here, such as Donnarumma, but he is definitely among the top – admitted Jean-Luc Ettori in an interview with WP SportoweFaktyLigue 1 record holder for clean sheets (241).
Bułka had already participated in the two previous training camps of the Polish national team, but he did not make his debut there. At that time, however, he was called up on an emergency basis – to replace his injured colleagues. Moreover, the team was playing for points in the Euro 2024 qualifiers. Now it will have a friendly match, and Bułka himself was called up in the first round, not as plan B.
They will definitely not play against Latvia because he is injured Paweł Bochniewiczsuffering from angina Piotr Zieliński and sent to the U-21 team training camp Mateusz Łęgowski and Patryk Peda. Coach Probierz has only 18 field players and three goalkeepers at his disposal before Tuesday’s match.
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