Legia look to revive Polish pride

It has been ten long seasons since Poland supplied a club to the UEFA Champions League group stage and, trailing FC Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 going into the second leg of their third qualifying round tie, the odds are against Legia Warszawa stopping the rot this year.

Pre-season hope
RTS Widzew Lódz were the last Ekstraklasa team to grace the competition proper in 1996/97, finishing third in a group including eventual winners BV Borussia Dortmund. It has been a barren period for the country's representatives since, although there was hope that Legia could revive Poland's status this term. Having edged past traditional rivals Wisła Kraków to gain their eighth league title in May, the capital side's aggressive, pressing style helped them to pre-season victories against French giants Paris Saint-Germain FC and Olympique Marseille to further raise expectations.

Fabiański form
But a surprise defeat by Wisła Płock in Polish Super Cup did not bode well and when Elano Blumer gave Shakhtar the lead from the penalty spot midway through the first leg of their UEFA Champions League qualifier in Donetsk, the writing looked on the wall. Anatoliy Tymoschuk was twice denied by the woodwork and goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański made countless saves to keep Legia in contention. Yet their form since – losing to GKS Bełchatów and promoted LKS Lódz – has given little weight to feelings that they can overturn the deficit in Warsaw tonight.

Brazilians muted
The performances of Poland Under-21 No1 Fabiański have provided one of the few highlights of a difficult start to the campaign for Legia, who last reached the group stage of Europe's premier club competition in 1995/96. Defenders Wojciech Szala, Grzegorz Bronowicki and Dickson Choto are struggling with injury while the Brazilians who spearheaded their success last season are yet to sparkle. Roger Guerreiro, Hugo Alcantara and Edson have been shadows of their former selves and while Elton has brought some cheer, he has been beset by off-the-field problems.

'Anything is possible'
Legia have not given up hope though, and coach Dariusz Wdowczyk is aware that victory tonight could alter the course of their campaign. "If we play at our best and remain focused, we will have our day. Anything is possible," he said. "Then nobody will remember the bad start to the season." These words will be a rallying call for Legia's passionate fans, who are known as their 'twelfth man' in Poland. Unless their fortunes change, however, even 12 might not be enough.