Friis stays focused and reserved before Finland’s face-off against Poland.

The prevailing story ahead of Poland’s encounter with Finland at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium for a FIFA World Cup qualifier tomorrow night revolves around Robert Lewandowski’s decision to abstain from playing for the Polish national team while manager Michal Probierz remains at the helm.

Initial reports suggested that the forward would skip the June international window to recover after a lengthy domestic season with Barcelona. However, the 36-year-old took to social media last night to make an official statement regarding his stance.

Finland was already prepared to face Poland without Lewandowski in their Group G clash for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers tomorrow, but many believe this shocking development could provide an additional advantage to the Eagle Owls’ prospects.

Despite being labelled as the underdogs, Finland’s performance at home against the Netherlands, where they suffered a 2-0 defeat on Saturday, was regarded as disappointing. They will need a positive result against Poland if they hope to keep their dreams of qualifying for their first World Cup alive.

However, manager Jacob Friis is steering clear of any speculation regarding the impact of Lewandowski’s situation on his side’s confidence.

“If I start pondering whether the upheaval in Poland benefits us or not, I’m wasting energy for no good reason. That won’t prepare us any better for the match. Our focus is on our own performance, not the external circumstances,” Friis stated at a press conference on Monday.

Currently, Poland leads Group G, sitting two points ahead of Finland while playing one match less. The Netherlands trail by a point, although their match against Finland was just their first fixture in the qualification campaign.

As the Netherlands gear up to face Malta tomorrow, Finland could find themselves slipping to third place, especially if they fall short against Poland. Still, Friis remains optimistic about their ambitions.

“Our goal is to top the group, but we must remain realistic. Naturally, we aim to qualify for the World Cup; otherwise, there’s no point in being part of the qualifiers,” he said.

“Against Poland, we need to defend solidly, create opportunities, and convert them into goals. We must dictate the pace of the game to suit our style.”