Football. Pogoń flies to Nieciecza

On Saturday at 2:45 PM in Nieciecza, the players of the top league Pogoń Szczecin will face the local Bruk-Bet Termalica, and our team is flying to southern Poland, and Sunday's return will also be a joyful journey after victory.

There are some concerns, as the Port team lost their first away match against Radomiak 1-5, but they quickly recovered, defeating Motor Lublin at Twardowskiego with a resounding 4-1 scoreline. Let's hope the Pride of Pomerania has gotten back on track, integrated new players into the squad, and continues to bring much joy to Szczecin fans.

Amazing fans

"It's incredible what our fans are doing, and I have complete respect and admiration for them," said Pogoń coach Robert Kolendowicz. "It's phenomenal and fantastic, the effort they put in. I recently spoke with a teammate who was at the last match in Nieciecza, and I know it's a challenge to get there. I'm asking for your support and faith. I deeply believe that, just like in the last home match, your support and encouragement for the team will be heard and will help us win. In Radom, our fans were not allowed into the stadium, which was under construction, and we missed their support..."

W-Hour

Pogoń fans have long been known for their patriotic behavior, and at the last match against Motor, they displayed a large banner encouraging the public to celebrate "W" Hour on Friday, August 1st at Szarych Szeregów Square, at 5 p.m. on August 1st. This is the symbolic hour of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising. In Warsaw, Szczecin, and other cities, sirens will sound at this time, and people will pause to pay tribute to the insurgents.

Ceremonies will also take place at 4:45 p.m. in the square near the Archcathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle, where insurgents and soldiers of the 14th West Pomeranian Territorial Defense Brigade will form the symbol of Fighting Poland. At 5 p.m., a Holy Mass will be celebrated in the cathedral for the intentions of the Homeland, the soldiers of the Warsaw Uprising, and the civilian victims of the population of Warsaw.

The brown Pursuit disappeared

The last time we faced Bruk-Bet in a league match was over three years ago, at Twardowskiego Street on May 21, 2022. Although Pogoń was already leading 2-0, the match ultimately ended in a 2-2 draw. Luka Zahović and Kamil Drygas scored penalties for Szczecin, and Muris Meśanović equalized with the first goal from the penalty spot (the team won 3-1 in the autumn round in December). In the 2021/2022 season, in which the Nieciecza team suffered relegation, Pogoń finished on the podium, winning the bronze medal and qualifying for European competition. Let's recall the lineup that the Gryf team played with at Twardowski Stadium during this successful season: Dante Stipic – Jakub Bartkowski, Kostas Triantafyllopoulos, Benedikt Zech, Luis Mata (80 Hubert Matynia) – Mariusz Fornalczyk (46 Mateusz Łęgowski), Damian Dąbrowski, Wahan Biczachczjan (60 Jean Carlos Silva), Kamil Drygas (71 Michał Kucharczyk), Kamil Grosicki – Luka Zahović (80 Maciej Żurawski). From that May bronze team, only Grosik remains in the squad… The match against the Elephants was played at the end of the season and was also the last match on the Szczecin bench for then-coach Kosta Runjaić.

In the league, Pogoń has faced Termalica just 14 times, winning five, drawing five, and losing four, with a favorable goal difference of 25-20. The Port team's best win is 5-0, and the Szczecin team has never lost by more than two goals. Pogoń has not lost in its last four matches and has scored at least one goal in its last six. The two rivals have not yet played each other in the Polish Cup.

Kurzawa's injury

Termalica's Kamil Zapolnik, Andrzej Trubeha, and Rafał Kurzawa, a former Pogoń player who left the club this summer, have all recently suffered health issues. It's unlikely that any of these players will be in the home team on Saturday.

As for our team, Valentin Cojocaru's participation in the match against Termalica is in serious doubt. The Romanian goalkeeper is still badly injured from the last match against Motor, and Pogoń's medical staff have long advised him against resuming training with the team. The remaining Port players should be ready to play on Saturday.

It's only the beginning of the season, so neither team will have to serve suspensions due to cards.

"Valentin Cojocaru is still bruised and isn't training with us, but he'll be back training on the Friday before the match," said R. Kolendowicz. "Any injury is a concern, but just in case, we have Krzysztof Kamiński, who is in good shape and has helped the team a lot recently. Koulouris, despite a minor injury he suffered while scoring a goal against Motor, is healthy, training normally, and scoring goals in training. There are no transfer details yet, which I'm happy about, because Kulu has a contract until the end of the season. Until an offer comes in and he accepts it, he's still our player, and I hope that lasts as long as possible. Continuing with the transfer thread, I've heard rumors that the club is focusing on signing a defensive midfielder, but I'm calmly waiting. Right now, I'm focusing on working with the players I currently have in the team. That's where all my energy and the coaching staff are going. Returning to the health issues, we have some minor injuries and colds, but nothing serious. We'll all be ready for the match." As for the rival team, I'd say Termalica's new signing, Rafał Kurzawa, who recently left Szczecin, is a great player, person, and teammate. I think the Nieciecza team will find a lot of comfort in him. We know he suffered a minor injury. I'm rooting for him. I want him to play as much as possible and lead Nieciecza to victory, but only after the match against Pogoń.

In reference to our coach's statement, let us add that the aforementioned defensive midfielder is the 32-year-old Belgian Mats Rits from Anderlecht Brussels, and Koulouris is the interest of the Italian Udinese Calcio, where the coach is the well-known Szczecin coach Kosta Runjaić.

The engine was built…

"My team is definitely buoyed by the win against Motor, and I already mentioned it in the post-match press conference," explained the Port team coach. "It's also about the way we conceded the goal and the moment after. Few teams are able to immediately take control and the initiative after such a blow. We did it. It's a great feat. That's what characterizes great teams. I'm incredibly proud that we were able to come back so quickly and play well. We had the game under control in many moments afterward. This rebuilt the team and will allow it to grow from match to match."

How will the porters play?

"I'd like to win, and win big," declared R. Kolendowicz. "The specific result is less important. We're trying to focus on offense and defense. This is work we do every day. The offense is strong at times, but we want to cultivate it. Effectiveness in both offense and defense is most important to me. We have a very specific game plan for Saturday. We know what to do. The Nieciecza team has a lot of experienced players. There's an experienced coach, Marcin Brosz. The work they did in the first league has really built the team. I see their idea of how to play and execute it, as well as their individual strengths. Above all, I see a team. Everyone in Nieciecza is looking forward to this match: the players and the fans. I think Termalica will want to go into the match strongly. We'll want to win and we have to cope in all circumstances. We have to have our rituals very repeatable. When we do that, we'll continue to be a threat in the top league." Will we see Pogoń in Nieciecza from the Motor match, and not Radomiak? I'm not unsure about that, but it's something I've always said: we're still in the process of building, and that takes time. In defense, we're looking for gains, not losses. There were plenty of those situations, especially after set pieces, when Motor escaped under pressure. We allowed our opponents to shoot too easily in the last match, but we also often defended. That's our job. I talked about the process and how we're rebuilding the team. That's one of the elements we need to improve. I see progress in that. I see an understanding of our model in the new players. I believe we're using the time we have effectively and are capable of improving. As I said before, I see progress in our defense. We know what we have to do, and we just need to translate that onto the pitch.

Competition and change

"The competition in the team is getting better and better," the team boss assesses. "I want this competition, and we can strengthen it in several positions. It's only a positive thing. My role, and that of the coaching staff, is to properly manage the players' minutes. There's competition on the wings, but also in other positions. I want a place in the squad to be a reward for the work they put in during the week. We're considering potential changes to the squad, as we have competition in some positions. I've been pushing for it and I want to capitalize on it. Koutris and Borges are good examples. Both have shown their quality and have played a significant role in our recent victory. I see who is benefiting from the competition, and I'll try to capitalize on those who benefit most from it."

Logistics in Nieciecza

"It's always been this way, but starting this season, we're paying particular attention to planning our trips," said R. Kolendowicz. "Due to the distance that separates us and the fact that we cover the most kilometers, we have to have it planned precisely. Flights to Nieciecza the day before the match didn't work for us. We wanted to fly two days earlier to make recovery more efficient. We train in Tarnów on Friday and return on Sunday. Some players will play that day for the third-division reserve team. Previously, our recovery wasn't always smooth, and our poor performances away from home were perhaps also due to this. We won't use our full reserve bench in Nieciecza. We'll keep some players in Szczecin to play for the second team. We've played friendly matches before, against Kluczevia, Świt, and Błękitni, to ensure everyone is ready. That's how it is now, and I want it to stay that way for a long time. So that the players have a similar workload."

The match will be broadcast on Canal+ Sport 3 from 2:10 p.m.

(mij)

They are playing in the 3rd round

FRIDAYZagłębie - Korona 6:00 PM

Wisla - Piast 20.30

SATURDAYTermalica - POGOŃ 14.45 Widzew - GKS Katowice 17.30

Lech - Górnik 20.15

SUNDAYCracovia - Lechia 14.45 Motor - Jagiellonia 17.30 Radomiak - Raków 17.30

Legia - Arka 20.15

Table after 2 rounds

1. Cracovia Krakow 6 6-1 2 0 02. Wisła Płock 6 4-1 2 0 03. Górnik Zabrze 6 3-1 2 0 04. Radomiak Radom 4 6-2 1 1 05. Termalica Nieciecza 3 4-2 1 0 16. Legia Warsaw 3 2-0 1 0 07. Widzew Lodz 3 3-3 1 0 18. Raków Częstochowa 3 2-2 1 0 19. POGOŃ Szczecin 3 5-6 1 0 110. Lech Poznań 3 5-7 1 0 111. Motor Lublin 3 2-4 1 0 112. Jagiellonia Białystok 3 3-6 1 0 113. GKS Katowice 1 2-3 0 1 114. Zagłębie Lubin 1 2-3 0 1 115. Arka Gdynia 1 1-2 0 1 116. Piast Gliwice 0 0-1 0 0 117. Korona Kielce 0 0-4 0 0 2

18. Lechia Gdansk -5 4-6 0 0 2