Polish squad leaves for Spain ahead of Romania, Ireland matches

Coach Fornalik with players at warsaw's international airport on the way to Maliga: photo - PAP/Bartłomiej Zborowski.

Polish coach Waldemar Fornalik’s ability to pick the squad he wants will be limited for the match against Romania on Saturday evening as it falls outside the selection period allocated by FIFA, however, meaning only those playing in Poland’s domestic league will be available.

This will affect the availability of players such as Arkadiusz Piech, who transferred from Ruch Chorzow to Sivasspor in the Turkish first division.

“The match with Romania will be played outside the FIFA deadline, so the Turks are not obliged to release Arkadiusz Piech, who want Arek to acclimatize to his new team,” said Poland’s national team communications director Tomasz Rzasa.

Legia Warszawa defender Jakub Rzeźniczak has also been ruled out because of a thigh strain, which could put him out of action for up to 6 to 8 weeks.

Legia’s Jakub Kosecki is also not available for selection due to injury.

After the Romania game Poland face Ireland in Dublin on 6 February.
Poland’s next competitive fixture will be against Ukraine in the Group H World Cup qualifier. (pg)