Image via Ekstraklasa SA
The Polish top flight returns tonight, so I’ve picked out three of the biggest teams and why to keep an eye on them for the rest of the season.
Raków in the clear
Image via Tomasz Kudala/Shutterstock
Raków Częstochowa have set an absolutely blistering pace so far this season, and standing on 41 points are nine points clear of nearest challengers Legia Warszawa. Marek Papszun has done absolutely stellar work with Raków these past few years, and having missed out on European football this season by seconds, his team look to be channelling that energy into dominating the Ekstraklasa.
Led by Ivi Lopez, one of, if not the best player in the league, Raków are usually a joy to watch such is their high energy, technical play. It really does seem like their title to lose. Raków’s first game back is away to Warta Poznań tomorrow afternoon.
Stuttering Legia
Legia Warszawa have come back well from a disappointing season last time round, when they got through three managers and failed to properly balance the demands of playing domestically and in Europe. This season they have no Europe to worry about, but have still been prone to dropping points when you wouldn’t necessarily expect them to. Goals have been something of an issue, with left-back Filip Mladenovic arguably their best goal threat. They are looking to rectify this by bringing back Czech striker Tomas Pekhart on a free transfer, after they let him go at the end of last season.
Young goalkeeper Kacper Tobiasz has been one of the Ekstraklasa’s standout performers in the first half of the campaign, but he is an otherwise high point in a team that would expect to be at least a little bit closer to runaway leaders Raków. Legia take on Korona Kielce in Warszawa on Sunday.
Resurgent Lech
Image via @LechPoznan & @PrzemekSzyszka on Twitter
At the start of the season, Lech Poznań were reigning champions but failing to balance the demands of a European campaign and the Ekstraklasa season. Sound familiar?
Embarrassing results in the first few months of the season led Lech to sit closer to the foot of the table than the top of it, but slowly they have managed to build up positive momentum, strongly helped by a successful Conference League group stage which will see Lech in the knockout rounds when they face Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt. Now in 6th, Lech will be hoping to keep this positive run going when they play tonight away to Stal Mielec.
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