Why Robert Lewandowski and Jeremie Frimpong are Not Starting in UEFA Euro 2024 Group D Opener?

Poland are currently playing their first game of Group D in the UEFA Euro 2024 versus the Netherlands on Sunday at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg. The most notable absence from Poland's starting lineup was Robert Lewandowski, the country's all-time leading goal scorer. The Barcelona attacker has long been a constant threat to both his club and his country, and his absence will undoubtedly damage the team.

Lewandowski suffered a tear in his biceps femoris muscle in the warm-up game versus Turkey and was forced to leave the game in the 33rd minute. Despite winning 2-1, Poland's medical team faced a battle against time to get their top striker prepared for the opener. Prior to the match, Poland Football Federation spokesperson Emil Kopanski stated that, “We remain optimistic.”

However, he was deemed insufficiently fit to start the first match and was removed from the starting lineup. Poland's next Group stage matches are against France and Austria, thus this move was more prudent than forced. Although the Federation had earlier ruled him out of the opening encounter versus the Netherlands, his name appeared on the matchday team as a substitute. He might be expected to play a small cameo later in the game to ensure he is match fit.

Why is Jeremie Frimpong not starting today against Poland?

Everyone was shell shocked when Ronald Koeman, the Netherlands national football team head coach announced the team for his side’s opening game of UEFA Euro 2024 against Poland. The former FC Barcelona manager decided to keep Jeremie Frimpong on the bench and go with Denzel Dumfries for this contest.

The Bayer Leverkusen superstar had an outstanding campaign for the club and everyone had predicted that he would be starting right-back for the team. However, Koeman has decided to back Dumfries for their tournament opener since he was the first-choice for the nation for a long time now. Frimpong might be used as a substitute later on and his pace will surely cause chaos in the opposition half.