Shortly before the European Championship opener

Injured while cheering: Big worries for ÖFB opponents

Karol Swiderski: Joys and sorrows go hand in hand.

(Bild: AFP/Wojtek Radwanski, x.com/Danthfc_)

Austria's group opponents Poland and the Netherlands are struggling with serious injury worries just a few days before the start of the European Football Championship in Germany. Poland goal scorer Karol Swiderski injured himself while celebrating.

Former world footballer Robert Lewandowski was injured on Monday in Poland's 2:1 test match victory against Turkey, and the Barca goalscorer had to be substituted early on. In his 150th international match, Lewandowski sat down on the pitch in the 32nd minute with an injury. A short time later, the 35-year-old stood up again, calmly explained the situation to the medical staff and left the pitch under his own steam. "Robert has a minor injury, it shouldn't cause any problems," explained Probierz later. Earlier, strike partner Karol Swiderski had already injured himself while celebrating the 1-0 goal (12'). The 27-year-old, who plays for Hellas Verona in Italy, jumped into the air in celebration and twisted his ankle when he landed.

He then pulled his jersey over his face, which was contorted with pain, but continued playing after a short break for treatment. Three minutes later, he limped off the pitch. "Karol has sprained his ankle. We won't know what the situation is until after the tests," said Probierz after the game. There will definitely be no changes to the squad. Swiderski has been a regular in the starting eleven in the qualifying play-off against Estonia (5:1) and Wales (5:4).

A key topic
Poland start their European Championship campaign against the Netherlands in Hamburg on Sunday, and the striker issue will remain a key topic until then. On Saturday, Juventus attacker Arkadiusz Milik suffered a knee injury in the 3:1 test match victory against Ukraine, making participation in the European Championship impossible. In addition to the attacking duo of Lewandowski/Swiderski, only two nominal center forwards remain in the squad: Krzystof Piatek (Basaksehir) and Adam Buksa (Antalyaspor). Despite all the injuries, Poland remained unbeaten in the eighth game under the aegis of new coach Probierz, making it the most successful start by a Poland team manager for the 51-year-old.

Netherlands will have to do without De Jong for European Championship
Poland's opening opponents, the Netherlands, will definitely have to do without key player Frenkie de Jong. The FC Barcelona midfielder will miss the finals due to an ankle injury, as the Dutch FA announced on Monday evening after the 4-0 friendly win over Iceland. "I am sad and disappointed. Unfortunately, my ankle needs more time," the 27-year-old wrote on Instagram. De Jong suffered the injury against Real Madrid in April and, according to media reports, left-back Ian Maatsen from Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund will replace him in the squad.

Frenkie de Jong (2nd from left) is out.

(Bild: AFP/APA/ANP/Koen van Weel)

Koopmeiners injured in warm-up
Against Iceland, Bonds coach Ronald Koeman also had to do without Teun Koopmeiners, Europa League winner with Atalanta Bergamo. The 26-year-old midfielder suffered a muscle injury during the warm-up and therefore did not play as planned. He will also miss the EURO

A few days before the opening match (17 June) against the Austrian team, which will be without David Alaba, Xaver Schlager and one-goalkeeper Alexander Schlager, among others, some of the French favorites are also not in top form. Superstar Kylian Mbappé suffered a knock to his knee in the test match against Luxembourg (3-0) on Wednesday and only played in the final stages of the dress rehearsal against Canada (0-0) on Sunday. "He had to get treatment, 15 minutes went by. The French national team with or without Kylian is something else," said national team coach Didier Deschamps.

Kylian Mbappe

(Bild: AFP/APA/FRANCK FIFE)

"It's going very well"
 Mbappé was relaxed after his brief appearance. "It's going very well," said the new Real Madrid goalscorer with a smile. L'Équipe, on the other hand, was concerned that it was difficult to imagine Mbappé being at 100 percent at the start of the tournament. Juve midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who according to the French newspaper has recently been sidelined due to muscle fatigue and pain in his calf, seems unlikely to play against the Austrian side on Monday. The situation is similar for Real kicker Aurélien Tchouaméni, who had already missed the CL final due to a fatigue fracture in his left foot and was also rested against Canada.