Euro 2012: 10 Players Who Must Perform Well for Poland to Reach the Quarterfinal

Tomorrow, Poland will play in their first match of Euro 2012 against Greece in Warsaw. This fixture will be the most important match that the national team will be participating in since the 1980s, and will be a benchmark on which we can determine how strong this Polish squad is.

The last time that Poland reached the knockout stage of any competition was in the 1986 World Cup, where they were knocked out in the round of 16 by Brazil. Since that loss, Poland has only qualified for three tournaments, with Euro 2012 being the first tournament in their history in which they automatically qualified for.

This young Polish squad has some great talent. They have promising young Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny, and a trio of players from Borussia Dortmund in Robert Lewandowski, Łukasz Piszczek and Jakub Blaszczykowski.

Poland were fortunate to not get placed into a difficult group. Instead, they have Greece, Russia and the Czech Republic as their opponents in the Group A pool.

For many fans, they don't know much about the Polish national team. Here are ten players that you can expect to make a major impact for Biało-czerwoni in the group stage.

Goalkeeper: Wojciech Szczesny

Only 22 years old, Wojciech Szczesny grew up this past season with Arsenal. Szczesny grew up so much that he got the London-based club an automatic berth in next season's Champions League, something that seemed improbable last September.

Szczesny went on to record 13 clean sheets and 90 saves. Both totals would have been higher if Szczesny was a more experienced goalkeeper, but they were both great considering the circumstances that he was in.

At Arsenal, Szczesny has another Polish keeper, Łukasz Fabiański, as his backup. But now that Fabiański will miss Euro 2012 to injury, Szczesny will need to perform even better.

Defender: Łukasz Piszczek

Łukasz Piszczek is one of the three Borussia Dortmund players that is on Poland's squad for this tournament. Considering how strong of a defender Piszczek was for a Dortmund side that only conceded 25 tallies in what was their second straight Bundelsiga-winning campaign, he will be a rock in the back for Poland's defense.

The three sides that Poland will face in this group are not overpowering offensive sides, but it will be critical for Piszczek to play well considering Poland is not an overwhelming offensive force.

Defender: Sebastian Boenisch

Sebastian Boenisch is not a major player for Werder Breman. Though he did appear at one time that he was going to play for the German national team, he since moved back to the Polish setup and will be a starter in Euro 2012.

Boenisch has been increasingly used during Poland's recent stretch of friendlies. Considering the experience that he provides, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that this is happening.

But will a lack of recent match experience hurt Boenisch? If it does, Poland will be harmed tremendously. But if it doesn't, Poland should reach the quarterfinals.

Midfielder: Dariusz Dudka

Dariusz Dudka was a member of Poland's squad at the 2006 World Cup and at Euro 2008. In Poland's recent friendlies, he has taken on an important role for the host nation.

Though he is primarily a defender when he played for Auxerre during this past season (26 of his 33 appearances this past season were as a defender), Dudka has instead been employed as a midfielder during Poland's recent friendlies.

Though he is a defensive-minded player, Dudka holds some key offensive traits, such as an average of 0.7 key passes per match and over 750 completed passes this year. That added attacking mentality can prove to be a helpful weapon for Dudka assuming he is a starting defensive midfielder.

Midfielder: Eugen Polanski

German-born Eugen Polanski has quickly become a member of the Polish national team who looks poised to start throughout Euro 2012.

Polanski has been a strong defensive force this past season while playing in Germany, and with both him and Dudka being potential starters, Poland looks like they will use a conservative defensive approach during the group stage.

Polanski contributed 22 key passes this past season and also had a pass completion percentage of 78 percent, which will be crucial for Poland on counterattacks.

Midfielder: Maciej Rybus

An emerging player on the national team setup, Maciej Rybus has found himself playing much more often for Poland during the months leading into Euro 2012.

Rybus is one of a few players on this Polish squad that are playing their football in Russia, which will be critical considering their Russian neighbors will be their second opponent in the group stage.

In addition to this, Rybus has started the last two matches for Poland in friendlies leading up to the tournament.

Midfielder: Jakub Błaszczykowski

The captain of the Polish national team, Jakub Błaszczykowski has been an integral part of Borussia Dortmund's squad during the past two seasons and can be considered to be one of the top midfielders in Euro 2012.

Błaszczykowski finished fifth in the Bundesliga in assists with nine, and registered 55 key passes, tied for most on the club. Furthermore, his role as an attacking midfielder proved major dividends for a side that was among the best attacking sides in Europe.

Furthermore, Błaszczykowski provides the attacking link that is needed for Poland to penetrate some of the difficult defenses that they will encounter in the group stage.

Midfielder: Ludovic Obraniak

Born in France, Ludovic Obraniak provides another valuable attacking option out of the midfield. During the past season, Obraniak led Bordeaux with 1.9 key passes per match along with 50 passes in each fixture.

Obraniak will be a major key to Poland's game should they start to attack with the venom that is needed to score goals. Considering his recent role in the friendlies going into Euro 2012, it should be expected that his play will help lead to some critical goals.

Striker: Paweł Brożek

Striker is not the strongest position for Poland going into Euro 2012. This means that Paweł Brożek will need to play an even bigger role than expected in order to score goals.

Brożek has found it hard to score goals outside of the Polish top flight during his career. But he does have a habit of scoring some important goals, such as a winner against Argentina last year.

This tournament represents a great opportunity for Brożek. If he can deliver, Poland will be difficult to stop.

Striker: Robert Lewandowski

Euro 2012 is a tournament that Robert Lewandowski can absolutely own. He is not only one of the best goal scorers in the tournament, but he also is an emerging talent that can flatly take over a game with a brilliant piece of skill.

We saw that happen several days ago when Poland defeated Andorra 4-0, thanks in part to this wonder-goal from the Borussia Dortmund striker.

Considering his 22 goals in the Bundesliga, eight assists and 78 times fouled, he is an offensive threat that will cause fits for any side, no matter how talented they are.

If Lewandowski can live up to his potential, Poland will advance into the quarterfinals.

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