Żukowski to replace Lewandowski as Poland face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Zenica

Lewandowski out, Żukowski steps in

Poland will play an away Nations League match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday, October 5, kicking off at 20:45 at the Bilino Polje stadium in Zenica. According to Przegląd Sportowy and Interia Sport, captain Robert Lewandowski misses the game due to a one-match suspension after accumulating yellow cards. In the previous match against Romania, which Poland won 6:0, Lewandowski scored a hat-trick but also picked up a caution.

With Lewandowski unavailable, Mateusz Żukowski starts at striker — described by Interia Sport and Przegląd Sportowy as the only nominal forward in coach Jan Urban's squad in the captain's absence. Interia Sport reports that Żukowski has also taken over Lewandowski's number 9 shirt, though the captain's armband for this match goes to Piotr Zieliński.

Poland and Bosnia lineups

Poland's starting lineup: Marcin Bułka; Matty Cash, Jan Bednarek, Jakub Kiwior, Przemysław Frankowski; Wiktor Nowak, Piotr Zieliński; Nicola Zalewski, Sebastian Szymański, Karol Świderski; Mateusz Żukowski.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's lineup: Zlomislić; Katić, Muharemović, Smajlović, Kolasinac; Memić, Mahmić, Basić; Demirović, Tabaković, Gigović.

The hosts will be without veteran striker Edin Džeko, who said farewell to the national team during the match against Sweden, according to Przegląd Sportowy. SportoweFakty reports that Bosnia's other attacking threat, Kerim Alajbegović — a Juventus player signed for a reported €33 million — is also absent, left out of the official matchday squad. Alajbegović scored in Bosnia's 1:1 draw with Sweden but was substituted shortly after; national team coach Sergej Barbarez said this was a precaution against cramp rather than an injury.

Standings and atmosphere

Poland currently has four points in the group, while Bosnia and Herzegovina have five, meaning a win in Zenica would allow Poland to overtake their hosts in the table. Poland's results so far in this Nations League campaign include a 0:0 draw with Bosnia, a 1:3 loss to Sweden, and the 6:0 victory over Romania.

According to Sport.pl, a heated atmosphere is expected in Zenica — local fans told Interia Sport that visiting supporters should avoid openly displaying Polish national colors around the city to prevent possible incidents, though most residents were described as friendly and helpful. The Bilino Polje stadium's capacity has been reduced to under 14,000 seats after UEFA-mandated seating installation, down from a previous capacity of more than 30,000.