Polish club football celebrates a historic success after two teams advanced to the UEFA Conference League round of 16. Friday's draw in Nyon paired Lech Poznań with Ukrainian Shakhtar Donetsk, while Raków Częstochowa will face the prestigious Italian Fiorentina. Sports media are buzzing not only about the sporting aspect of the rivalry but also about controversial statements from Shakhtar's coach and costly pitch problems at the stadium in Poznań.

Historic Round of 16 Draw

Lech Poznań will play against Shakhtar Donetsk, and Raków Częstochowa will face Fiorentina in the battle for the Conference League quarterfinals.

Controversy Surrounding Shakhtar's Coach

Marino Pušić stated that he does not want to play home matches in Poland due to burdensome logistics and team fatigue.

Costly Pitch Replacement

Lech Poznań will spend 800,000 złoty on an immediate replacement of the damaged pitch before key matches of the season.

Advancement in the National Ranking

Good results from Lech and Raków significantly improve Poland's position in the UEFA ranking, which will facilitate the start for Polish clubs in the future.

A historic success for Polish clubs in European cups became a reality after Lech Poznań and Raków Częstochowa secured advancement to the round of 16 of the Conference League. The draw produced extremely exciting matchups. Lech Poznań will face Shakhtar Donetsk, which immediately sparked a media storm. The Ukrainian team's coach, Marino Pušić, directly stated that „he doesn't want to play in Poland,” complaining about logistics and travel fatigue. These words met with a sharp reaction in a country that has been hosting Ukrainian clubs and national teams at its stadiums since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Experts point to the irony of fate, as it was precisely Polish infrastructure that allowed Shakhtar to make regular appearances in the cups. Meanwhile, Raków Częstochowa awaits a clash with Fiorentina, the finalist of the previous edition of the competition. Italian media, commenting on the draw, considered Raków a solid and uncomfortable team, recalling its recent victory over Monza. Bookmakers assess the chances of the Polish teams with moderate optimism, though they emphasize that both teams have drawn theoretically stronger opponents. This success has a tangible impact on the UEFA ranking, in which Poland is systematically climbing, approaching the key 15th position, which rewards entering two teams in the Champions League qualifiers. Polish club football waited over three decades for a situation where two teams simultaneously reached the knockout phase in the spring European campaign, harking back to the successes of Górnik Zabrze and Legia Warszawa from the 1970s.Parallel to the cup excitement, Lech Poznań is grappling with a serious infrastructure crisis. The terrible condition of the pitch at the stadium on Bułgarska Street, described by the media as „complete turf destruction,” forced a swift and extremely costly operation. It is estimated that replacing the surface will cost around 800,000 złoty. The decision was made under pressure from the upcoming league clash with Raków Częstochowa and the approaching European matches. Similar steps were taken in Łódź before Widzew's match with Lech, showing the scale of problems with maintaining pitches given the intense schedule of the Ekstraklasa and cup competitions. 800 tys. zł — is the estimated cost of the emergency pitch replacement in Poznań„I don`t want to play in Poland. The logistics are killing us, and long travels affect the players` recovery.” (I don't want to play in Poland. The logistics are killing us, and long travels affect the players' recovery.) — Shakhtar Donetsk coach

Mentioned People

  • Marino Pušić — Coach of Shakhtar Donetsk, who criticized the necessity of playing matches in Poland.
  • Dawid Tomczyk — Sports expert and manager, who predicted the successes of Polish teams.