Poland U-21 face Italy in Pescara with direct European Championship qualification at stake

Qualification stakes in Pescara

Poland U-21 travel to Stadio Adriatico in Pescara on Monday to face Italy at 18:15 in their final Group E qualifier for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. The tournament, co-hosted by Serbia and Albania, offers three qualification berths for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Poland leads Group E with 27 points after winning all nine matches under head coach Jerzy Brzęczek, having scored 26 goals and conceded twice. Italy trails by three points with 24 points from eight wins and one defeat. A victory, draw, or single-goal defeat guarantees Poland first place in the group, whereas Italy requires a victory by at least two goals to claim top spot on head-to-head records.

Campaign path and previous meetings

Poland opened their qualification campaign on 5 September 2025 with a 3-0 home victory against North Macedonia at Cracovia Stadium. In November 2025, Poland defeated Italy 2-1 in Szczecin before a crowd of 19,177 spectators, recovering from a deficit through late strikes by Wiktor Bogacz and Maciej Kuziemka. Italian winger Luca Koleosho was sent off in stoppage time during that match following a second yellow card. Poland enters the final match following a 3-0 win against Sweden in Katowice, keeping their perfect record intact across 13 months of competitive fixtures.

We have nine victories. I think that in the history of any qualifiers it rarely happens that you have nine wins and are still not sure of qualifying for the European Championship. On Monday we play our last match against Italy. We want to enjoy a proper dessert.

Group permutations and runner-up rankings

Under the tournament format, the nine group winners and the best runner-up qualify directly for the finals, while the remaining eight second-placed teams enter playoffs for four additional spots. If Poland loses by two or more goals, the team drops to second place but remains well positioned in the runner-up table. In that ranking, results against sixth-placed teams are discarded, leaving Poland with 21 points and an 18:1 goal record from matches against other group opponents. Greece is second in the runner-up standings with 18 points and an 18:6 goal record, excluding results against Malta, ahead of their final match against Northern Ireland on Tuesday.

Team selections and match preparations

Italy remained in contention following a 1-0 win against Armenia in Yerevan on Thursday, decided by a goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Midfielder Dawid Drachal noted that Polish players watched the closing minutes of that match together before focusing on securing ten wins from ten fixtures. Italian coach Baldini announced his planned 4-3-3 formation, featuring goalkeeper Palmisani, defenders Ahanor, Comuzzo, Chiarodia, and Bartesaghi, midfielders Pisilli, Faticanti, and Ndour, and an attacking trio of Liberali, Koleosho, and Cisse. Poland reinforced their squad with Wojciech Mońka from the senior national camp after resolving accommodation issues in Pescara that took several days to settle.

Comparing the two matches, I think that on Monday it will be easier.