Our next opponents: Polish champions dangerous up front, vulnerable at the back

Position

After the almost three-week international break, the ten-time Polish champions returned to action in the domestic league at the weekend with a 4-1 win away to promoted side Śląsk Wrocław. "The four goals give us a really good feeling, we're very pleased with the performance overall," said Lech's Danish coach Niels Frederiksen after the game. The result moved his team up to second place in the PKO BP Ekstraklasa table, with 22 points after seven wins, one draw and one defeat. The gap to leaders Górnik Zabrze is three points, although Poznań have a game in hand.

However, their Europa League campaign got off to a bad start. Lech were beaten 4-0 at Premier League club Crystal Palace on Matchday 1 - the hosts were already 3-0 up at half-time. The contest was not as one-sided as the scoreline suggests, though. "Obviously it was a very comprehensive defeat, but I didn't feel like we were completely outplayed," assessed Frederiksen. "We were punished by the opponents in a few situations. We created chances but unfortunately also made silly mistakes, which is unforgivable at this level. We need to avoid these mistakes in the future."

Frederiksen took charge of the team in summer 2024 after more than three years as head coach of Bröndby IF in his native Denmark. The 55-year-old led the Poznań club to back-to-back league titles in his first two years. In the UEFA Conference League last season, their opponents included 1. FSV Mainz 05, with the meeting in December 2025 in Poland ending 1-1. Lech then reached the round of 16, where they narrowly lost 4-3 on aggregate to Shakhtar Donetsk.

Personnel

After being sent off for a second bookable offence at Crystal Palace, midfielder Radoslaw Murawski won't be available for his team against Leverkusen. Striker Allahyar Sayyadmanesh is also ruled out by a groin injury. The Iran international has been an instant hit since his move from Belgian top-flight outfit KVC Westerlo in the summer, scoring seven goals and setting up two in 15 competitive appearances already. His countryman Ali Gholizadeh is a long-term absentee with a cruciate ligament tear, while left-back Joao Moutinho and centre-back Alex Douglas also remain sidelined because of foot injuries. However, defensive midfield duo Gustav Berggren, a summer signing from RB New York, and Antoni Kozubal are in contention again. The latter has been one of the team's key players and virtually ever-present over the last two years.

The focal point in the middle is Spaniard Pablo Rodriguez, who moved to Poznań a year ago from Racing Santander. The danger out wide comes from Patrik Walemark and Luis Palma - the latter contributed 10 goals to the title defence last season. Captain Mikael Ishak is the primary goal threat, though. The 33-year-old Swedish centre-forward netted 16 league goals in the 2025/26 campaign as well as finding the net eight times in 10 appearances in the Conference League. Ishak previously played in Germany for 1. FC Köln (2012-2013) and 1. FC Nürnberg (2017-2020).

Another familiar name from the Bundesliga is right-back Robert Gumny, who spent five years at FC Augsburg before returning to his boyhood club Lech Poznań in 2025. The most exciting defensive talent there at the moment is Wojciech Monka: the 19-year-old centre-back and Polish U21 international has the highest market value in the squad and has attracted the interest of several renowned European clubs.

Problems

For two of the four goals against Palace, Lech contributed to their own downfall with simple passing errors. On the whole, the Polish champions have looked too vulnerable in defence. Even last season they showed some weaknesses in their defending, conceding 45 goals in the league - nine teams let in fewer goals. Through the absence of Sayyadmanesh, the team also lose some power in attack.

Performers

Lech still have plenty of quality going forward, and coach Frederiksen puts a lot of emphasis on attractive attacking football. Under him, the team scored the most goals in the Polish top flight in each of the last two seasons (62 and 68). And the attack is firing again this term, with 30 goals in their last 10 games in all competitions. The focus in training during the international break was "heavily on attack", according to Frederiksen, "but also on aspects like defending the box - I think we've found the right balance".