Poland name Provisional Euro 2016 squad

Poland coach Adam Nawalka has named a provisional 28-man squad for the 2016 European Championships with the experienced duo of Sebastian Mila and Lukasz Szukala being the most notable absentees.

Mila has amassed 37 caps for Poland and scored the second goal in their crucial 2-0 defeat of Germany in October 2014 but has been out of form for Lechia Gda?sk in the Polish top flight this season.

Defender Lukasz Szukala, featured regularly in qualifying but has been out of favour and also out of form at Turkish club Osmanslispor which has led to him losing his place for this summer’s championships in France.

Surprisingly, the Polish coach has opted to include 20-year-old Benfica midfielder Pawe? Dawidowicz in the squad even though he is yet to make a first team appearance with the Lisbon giants.

The former Lechia Gdansk player, who can play in defence as well as in midfield, made his senior international debut last November in their friendly international victory over the Czech Republic in Wroclaw.

Nawalka has also named Ajax striker Arkadiusz Milik in the squad. Milik scored the opener in the Aviva Stadium during Poland’s draw with the Republic of Ireland in their qualifying campaign, before Shane Long equalised for Ireland four minutes into stoppage time.

13-goal qualifying top scorer, Robert Lewandowski will captain the side at the tournament, and Poland will require the 27-year-old Bayern Munich striker to replicate such form if they are to make an impact on this summer’s event.

Torino powerhouse Kamil Glik, Sevilla midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak and marauding Borussia Dortmund full-back Lukasz Piszczek have all been named in the squad as expected.

Following the squad announcement, Nawalka said: "I looked at the players closely, both in terms of their club and national-team performances, and I am sure I have made a good choice. I picked players I know very well, players I believe in. There is a big challenge ahead of us and I'm sure we'll be prepared for it."

The 28-man squad will gather for two training camps in Poland before the squad is cut to the mandatory 23 ahead of friendlies against the Netherlands on June, 1 in Gdansk and Lithuania five days later in Krakow.

Poland have been drawn in Group E along with Northern Ireland, Germany and Ukraine. Their opening group match will take place against Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland in Nice on June, 12, before they travel to Paris to play world champions Germany four days later. Their final group game against Ukraine will be at the Stade Veledrome in Marseille on June, 21.

The provisional Polish squad in Full:

Goalkeepers: Artur Boruc (Bournemouth), Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea City), Wojciech Szczesny (Roma), Przemyscaw Tyton (Stuttgart).

Defenders: Thiago Cionek (Palermo), Pawel Dawidowicz (Benfica), Kamil Glik (Torino), Artur J?drzejczyk (Legia Warszawa), Micha? Pazdan (Legia Warszawa), ?ukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund), Maciej Rybus (Terek Grozny), Bartosz Salamon (Cagliari), Jakub Wawrzyniak (Lechia Gda?sk).

Midfielders: Jakub Blaszczykowski (Fiorentina), Kamil Grosicki (Rennes), Tomasz Jodlowiec (Legia Warszawa), Bartosz Kapustka (Cracovia), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Sevilla), Karol Linetty (Lech Poznan), Krzysztof M?czy?ski (Wisla Kraków), S?awomir Peszko (Lechia Gdansk), Filip Starzy?ski (Zag??bie Lubin), Pawel Wszocek (Verona), Piotr Zieli?ski (Empoli).

Forwards: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern München), Arkadiusz Milik (Ajax), Artur Sobiech (Hannover), Mariusz Stepinski (Ruch Chorzów).