Poland vs. Greece: Date, Start Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

Euro 2012 starts Friday and with it brings excitement all across Europe. Fans from England to Sweden, from Germany to Croatia are all hoping that their countrymen can bring home the trophy.

The tournament will take place in Poland and Ukraine. This has undoubtedly brought tremendous excitement to both countries.

One of the first matches is Poland vs. Greece, taking place in Group A. Will Greece be able to regain some of the magic from their 2004 Euro victory? Or will Poland ride the home crowd to victory?

Where: National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland

When: Friday, June 8 at 12 p.m. ET

Home Sweet Home

Poland is the co-host of Euro 2012, which should give the Poles a huge advantage in the early going. The 58,500 seat National Stadium will be rocking for the home team. Poland will feed off that energy. Because it is the opener of the tournament, the Poles could use it to get off to a quick start and stun the Greeks.

Defense Wins Championships

Greece is known for its strong defense. They use a 4-3-3 system, which is unusual, but has proven to be very effective. According to Willie Gannon of Bleacher Report, the Greeks believe strongly in their system:

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In Santos' team, the forward three play on their own for the most part, feeding odd second balls, set-pieces and making nuisances of themselves. They are pragmatic to the extreme, incredibly difficult to break down and are not afraid to stay closed up, even if qualification depends upon it. They have an intense belief in their chosen style and system, and for that reason, they are very dangerous opponents.

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The Greeks used this system to ride to victory in 2004 and will look for the same effect this time around. In qualification, they have only given up five goals. Since 2010, they have only lost once.

The Poles may not be as strong as the Greeks on "D", but they are pretty good. They are anchored by rising star goaltender Wojciech Szczesny, who plays for Arsenal. Their 4-2-3-1 system has worked well, giving up only eight goals in the last nine friendlies.

Still, there are some concerns about their central defense, according to The Guardian Observer, as "both full-backs given licence to attack and leaving space that opponents will look to expose."

Szczesny will have to come up huge, however, if the Poles want to outplay Greece.

Star Watch

 Sotiris Ninis is the best offensive player on the defensively oriented Greece team. At 22, he has appeared in over 100 games for Greece, before moving to Serie A to play for Parma.

Ninis, according to Charlie Melman of Bleacher Report, has a wide range of skills:

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The most exciting thing about Ninis is the incredible range of skills that he can use to beat opponents. He can pick out a pinpoint pass, dribble past a defender, rip a shot on goal or just blow past his marker with excellent pace.

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The Greeks will need Ninis to utilize all of those skills if they are going to get past the pesky Poles.

For Poland, their best player is by far Robert Lewandowski. The 23-year-old striker has scored 13 times in 41 appearances with the Polish team. He was also the Bundesliga player of the year.

Lewandowski is the complete package. Speaking to The Guardian Observer, Polish soccer TV analyst Maciej Iwanski said that:

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"We will score because we have Lewandowski," Iwanski says. "He is the complete striker: he can hold the ball up, run on to crosses, dribble and score from every angle. What's more, he is getting better. It is amazing to think that five years ago he was released by Legia Warsaw and forced to play in the Polish third division. Everyone in Poland is laughing at Legia now."

 

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Poland will need Lewandowski to play at his best if they want to get past the stifling Greeks.

Quote of the Week:

Greece is going through tough economic times. Sport can provide a distraction. Greek striker Thomas Gekas knows this all too well. As he told The Guardian Observer, "I believe that sport is the only thing left for Greece at this moment."

That will be on the mind of all the Greek players as they take the field on Friday.

Prediction: Poland Wins 1-0

On paper, Greece is the far better team. They are more experienced and their stifling defensive style will prove frustrating. They have a FIFA ranking of 14 to Poland's 65. However, Poland has the home crowd on its side. It's a huge moment for the nation, and the crowd will inspire the team.

This will be a close game between two defensive minded teams. In the end, however, Poland rides the crowd to pull off a stunning upset behind the play of star goalie Wojciech Szczesny. Lewandowski will score early, and Szczesny will have a strong game to keep the Greeks at bay.