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Today (Friday) Poland and Ecuador national teams will play their first matches in the World Cup. Poland is considered one of the most realistic contenders to take second place in Group A. However, we should not underestimate the South American representatives Ecuador. The capabilities of this team are little known and they could present several surprises.
Poland - Ecuador Match start: 10:00 PM (Lithuanian time) Referee: Kamikawa Toru (Japan)
Facts and statistics
Head-to-head matches Poland and Ecuador have played each other only once. On December 13, 2005, in a friendly match in Barcelona, Poland defeated Ecuador 3-0. The goals were scored by Tomasz Klos, Ebi Smolarek, and Sebastian Mila.
Facts about the teams
Poland Poland's best achievement in the World Cup is third place in the 1974 and 1982 tournaments. In the previous World Cup, they did not advance past the group stage.
In the last four World Cups, Poland has not scored a goal in their opening matches. The last time they scored in their first game was in the 1974 tournament when they defeated Argentina 3-2. In the qualifying tournament, Poland scored 27 goals in 10 matches. Only Sweden, Czech Republic, and Portugal scored more in the qualifiers for this World Cup.
Ecuador Ecuador made their World Cup debut in 2002. They finished last in their group. They lost to Italy (2-0) and Mexico (2-1), and won against Croatia (1-0).
In the qualifiers, Ecuador did not lose a single match at home. However, they performed much worse away. They only managed to secure one victory playing against Bolivia.
After winning against Honduras on January 25th this year, Ecuador has not celebrated a victory.
Injury updates
While many countries' key players are nursing injuries, Ecuador is fortunate to have all their players in good health. National team coach Luis Fernando Suarez expressed his joy after the team's last training session before the tournament, stating that all 23 players are healthy and in great physical shape.
In the Poland national team, there is hope that injured players Jacek Krzynowek and team captain Jacek Bak will recover in time for the match against Ecuador.
Opinions
Poland national team coach Pawel Janas The team's strategist will not reveal the starting lineup until the beginning of the game. P.Janas stated that he knows well the threat posed by their opponents. "We know a lot about their players. The team gathered three times," P.Janas said. "In meetings, we only talked about Ecuador, their players, and the tactics they use, and nothing more. So we know a lot about their team."
Ecuador national team coach Luis Fernando Suarez L.F. Suarez urged his players to be cautious before the team's first World Cup match. The coach wants the team to perform better than in the last tournament, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
"We have to start the match very cautiously. We must look for open spaces and try to attack them quickly," he said. "Ecuador has grown as a team. We have gained more experience and are now ready to prove it to everyone."
Teams' preparation for the World Cup
Ecuador March 1, 2006 Netherlands 1-0 Ecuador Ecuador played defensively and managed to disrupt the Netherlands' game, but Dirk Kuyt scored the only goal.
March 30, 2006 Japan 1-0 Ecuador Second consecutive loss in friendly matches. Substitute Hisato Sato scored the only goal five minutes before the end of the match.
May 25, 2006 Ecuador 1-1 Colombia In these matches, four starting players were left on the bench. Ecuador took the lead just three minutes after the start of the match. Segundo Castillo scored a goal for Ecuador, while Elkin Soto scored for Colombia.
May 28, 2006 Macedonia 2-1 Ecuador The last match before the World Cup caused concerns for the national team coach. Forward Carlos Tenorio scored a goal but suffered an injury. Goran Maznov and defender Igor Mitreski scored for Macedonia and Ecuador suffered another defeat.
Poland March 1, 2006 USA 1-0 Poland Despite dominating the match, a mistake by goalkeeper Artur Boruc allowed Clint Dempsey to score.
March 28, 2006 Saudi Arabia 1-2 Poland Striker Lukasz Sosin scored a goal in each half securing a win for Poland.
May 2, 2006 Poland 0-1 Lithuania Tomasz Frankowski missed a great opportunity and coach P.Janas expressed dissatisfaction with the team's performance.
May 14, 2006 Poland 4-0 Faroe Islands Southampton striker Grzegorz Rasiak scored twice, while defender Sebastian Mila and another striker Marek Saganowski added a goal each as Poland clinched an easy victory.
May 30, 2006 Poland 1-2 Colombia Poland lost this match when Luis Enrique Martinez's long-range shot forced a mistake from Poland's goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak.
June 3, 2006 Poland 1-0 Croatia Ebi Smolarek scored with a header in the second half. Despite Croatia's dominance, they failed to capitalize on opportunities and Poland celebrated a victory in their last friendly match before the World Cup.
What to expect in the match
Ecuador's chances are not well known. They finished third in the South American qualifying group, winning against Brazil and Argentina. They performed poorly away from home, winning only once. They drew with Colombia and lost to Macedonia in their last friendly matches.
Poland comfortably overcame the qualifying stage, averaging 2.7 goals per game. They are considered favorites for this match and the most realistic candidates to take second place in the group.
Ecuador's players struggle when playing away from home, so this match could be no exception.
Predicted starting lineups and team tactics:
Poland's strategist Pawel Janas will choose between tactical systems 4-4-2 and 4-5-1. The latter helped Poland secure third place in the 1974 World Cup.
In Ecuador's defense, De la Cruz will play alongside veteran Ivan Hurtado and Geovanny Espinosa and Neicer Reasco.
Midfielder Edison Mendez, who scored five goals in the qualifiers, will aim to maintain his form in the World Cup.
Poland: Boruc, Bak, Jop, Zewlakow, Baszczynski, Krzynowek, Radomski, Szymkowiak, Sobolewski, Smolarek, Zurawski.
Ecuador: Mora, De la Cruz, Hurtado, Espinoza, Reasco, Mendez, Tenorio, Castillo, Valencia, Delgado, Tenorio/Kaviedes.
