France's ideal scenario will be to contain the Barcelona forward and avoid ending the game on penalties, which are certainly not keeper Hugo Lloris's cup of tea.
Poland midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak urged his team mates not to get carried away by their first ever victory at a European championship finals against Northern Ireland at Euro 2016 on Sunday. The 1-0 victory in Group C was the Poles' first win in seven games at the finals. It put the country in a strong position to reach the knockout stages as they prepare for a tough clash with world champions Germany in Paris on Thursday. But Krychowiak said: "We understood that the first match is very difficult, we were prepared for that. The next matches will show that we can be even better and go further. "We can do a lot, but we shouldn't be overly optimistic, having only won the first match. We should take it calmly with a cold-headed approach. We need to run our socks off, but I'm not hiding the fact that we want to win it."
Slovakia defender Milan Skriniar will be tasked with stopping Poland's Robert Lewandowski
Poland midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak has signed a five-year contract with Paris St Germain, the French champions said in a statement on Sunday.
With Poland sure to rely just as heavily on Robert Lewandowski in their matches against Spain and Sweden, their hopes will rest on coach Paulo Sousa finding a system that better suits their top player.
Poland rested striker Robert Lewandowski and missed his firepower as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Lithuania in a Euro 2016 warm-up in the former capital city of Krakow on Monday. The stalemate before a 30,000 crowd against a determined Lithuania side playing on the counter followed Poland's 2-1 loss to the Netherlands in a friendly last week. Poland coach Adam Nawalka fielded an experimental defence with Thiago Cionek in central defence and talented teenage midfielder Bartosz Kapustka deployed at right back to try to beef up the rearguard but they still looked vulnerable. The hosts played with more urgency in the second half against the Lithuanians, who failed to qualify for the finals in France, and almost scored on the hour when winger Jakub Blaszczykowski hit the post after marauding down the right. Despite attacking relentlessly they could not find the net without talisman Lewandowski, who watched from the bench as 'Ajax Amsterdam forward Arek Milik toiled alone up front.
Poland striker Robert Lewandowski can finish Euro 2016 without a goal to his name as long as the team keep grinding out results starting with Saturday's last-16 clash against Switzerland, coach Adam Nawalka said on Friday. The Poles eked out 1-0 wins over Northern Ireland and Ukraine and a 0-0 draw against Germany in the group stage, with Lewandowski often dropping into a deeper role to create space for strike partner Arkadiusz Milik.
A strong Poland side lost 2-1 to the Netherlands in a Euro 2016 warm-up friendly as Vincent Janssen and Georginio Wijnaldum scored to secure victory for a young Dutch team.
Sevilla's devastating display to dispatch Malaga 4-1 on Saturday put them in their highest league position after 16 games for a decade and left little doubt that hiring coach Jorge Sampaoli to succeed serial winner Unai Emery was the right choice.
Senegal took full advantage of their opponents' errors to beat Poland 2-1 in their opening Group H match, finally giving Africa something to cheer about at the World Cup as the group favourites failed to fire.
Holders Sevilla swept into a second consecutive Europa League final.
IMAGES from the EPL match played between Chelsea and West Brom at Stamford Bridge in London on Monday
Patrik Schick put the Czechs in front three minutes before half-time as he towered above two defenders to power home a header, but his second goal seven minutes into the second half will almost certainly be one of the tournament's greatest.
Germany and Poland edged closer to the Euro 2016 knockout stage after playing out the first 0-0 draw of this year's tournament at the Stade de France on Thursday. The result means both teams have four points in Group C ahead of Northern Ireland, who have three after their 2-0 win against a Ukraine side who are still without a point and cannot now qualify for the last 16 at the finals.
Poland's Arkadiusz Milik scored the winner as they downed Northern Ireland 1-0 in their Euro 2016 Group C opening match in Nice on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Russia was banned from defending its Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup titles but its players will still be allowed to compete at the Grand Slams and in regular tour events.
A summary of Saturday's UEFA World Cup qualifiers.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger spoke last week of his desire to keep the 24-year-old Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was also a target for champions Chelsea.
Carlos Bacca claimed the plaudits with a superb double strike, including a late winner to decide a pulsating clash that began at a hair-raising pace with four goals in the first half.
The FIFA 2022 World Cup will kick-off in Qatar on Sunday, November 20. Here is a list of the 26-man squads playing in the quadrennial global football extravaganza.
Portugal continue to be a paradox at Euro 2016, reaching the semi-finals without ever giving the kind of uplifting performance that their talented team should be capable of.
Barcelona completed one of the most extraordinary comebacks in European football history to knock Paris St Germain out of the Champions League on Wednesday with a 6-1 victory that rewrote the record books.
Sevilla's love affair with the Europa League was immediately rekindled as last season's champions and three-time winners began this year's group stage with a 2-0 home victory over Feyenoord on Thursday.
Images and a round-up of all the World Cup qualifiers played across continents on Tuesday.
Sevilla stayed firmly on course for a second consecutive Europa League crown when an Aleix Vidal double and a Kevin Gameiro strike secured a thumping 3-0 win at home to Fiorentina in their semi-final first leg on Thursday.
Liverpool romed into the Europa League final with a 3-0 win over Villarreal on another magical night at Anfield to tee up a showpiece clash with holders Sevilla who swatted away visitors Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 on Thursday.
Real Madrid returned to winning ways after last weekend's drubbing at Atletico but failed to convince and were whistled by their own fans during a drab 2-0 victory at home to Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.
World champions Germany survived a late scare to see off Saudi Arabia 2-1 on Friday and claim a first victory this year, putting a five-game winless run behind them as they finalised their World Cup preparations.
Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick and Lionel Messi bagged a brace as Barcelona thrashed bottom side Cordoba 8-0 on Saturday to move a step closer to their fifth La Liga title in seven years.
Lionel Messi netted the 400th goal of his storied career on Saturday as Barcelona trounced Granada 6-0 to maintain the pace at the top of La Liga.
Summary of World Cup qualifiers played across the world on Thursday
Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic crowned a triumphant homecoming with a second-half goal as Paris St Germain crushed Malmo 5-0 on Wednesday to book a place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Atletico Madrid sealed top spot in Champions League Group D after second half goals from Frenchmen Kevin Gameiro and Antoine Griezmann but Napoli were held to a 0-0 Champions League draw at home by Dynamo Kiev.
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar combined to devastating effect as Barcelona swatted Celtic aside 7-0 at the Nou Camp to lay down a marker in Champions League Group C on Tuesday.
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