Key events
The Guardian Experts’ Network has run the rule over every team at Euro 2025. Bayern Munich right-back Giulia Gwinn has 60 caps and a number-one bestselling biography to her name …
… while Poland striker Ewa Pajor has scored 43 goals for Barcelona this season, plus eight for her country. No wonder she’s in the running for the Ballon d’Or.
Today’s other match in Group C has just finished. Filippa Angeldahl’s low drive was enough for Sweden to see off Denmark in Lancy. Barry Glendenning was covering that one, blow for blow; this is how the table looks as a result.
1. Sweden W1 D0 L0 F1 A0 Pts 3
2. Germany W0 D0 L0 F0 A0 Pts 0
3. Poland W0 D0 L0 F0 A0 Pts 0
4. Denmark P1 W0 D0 L1 F0 A1 Pts 0
Germany’s starting XI features a couple of WSL stars in Manchester City defender Rebecca Knaak and Chelsea midfielder Sjoeke Nüsken. Bayern Munich’s Lea Schüller, who scored three times against Poland in the two aforementioned matches last year, leads the line.
Poland’s sole WSL representative is their goalkeeper Kinga Szemik. Four of their starting XI – Barcelona striker Ewa Pajor, PSG defender Paulina Dudek, Cologne defender Sylwia Matysik and Fleury midfielder Ewelina Kamczyk – were part of the side that won the 2013 Women’s U17 European Championship.
The teams
Germany: Berger, Gwinn, Minge, Knaak, Linder, Senss, Nusken, Brand, Dallmann, Buehl, Schuller.
Subs: Johannes, Hendrich, Wamser, Lohmann, Freigang, Dabritz, Zicai, Cerci, Kett, Hoffmann, Kleinherne, Mahmutovic.
Poland: Szemik, Matysik, Szymczak, Dudek, Wiankowska, Achcinska, Pawollek, Kamczyk, Tomasiak, Pajor, Padilla-Bidas.
Subs: Radkiewicz, Zieniewicz, Wos, Mesjasz, Zawistowska, Grabowska, Kokosz, Jedlinska, Slowinska, Krezyman, Adamek, Seweryn.
Referee: Stephanie Frappart (France).
Preamble
Germany are, by an absurd distance, the most successful team in Uefa Women’s Euros history. They’ve won this championship (and its predecessor) eight times; Norway are next on the all-time list with two. Poland by comparison are making their tournament debut this evening. Then take the head-to-head record between these two countries: Germany 6, Poland 0, to an aggregate score of 28-3. As neighbourly rivalries go, it’s a particularly lop-sided one.
But in football there’s always hope, and here’s Poland’s: they’re currently on an 11-match unbeaten run, a sequence that incorporates ten wins. Yay! The only problem is, just before they began that run last year, they were beaten home and away by … you can tell where this is heading, can’t you … Germany. A 4-1 defeat away, a 3-1 loss at home. Oh, and Germany are on a five-game winning run of their own, having scored 24 goals in those matches. Which may explain why you can get odds of 33-1 on their winning this evening. So this should be a shoo-in for Germany, a chance to make a statement like Spain did last night. We’ll find out whether the Frauenteam make good on that promise soon enough. Kick-off is at 8pm UK time. It’s on!
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