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Under-21 Group C: Poland vs Georgia facts

Previous meetings, form guides and key facts ahead of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship match.

Poland U21 line up ahead of a qualifying match against Germany
Poland U21 line up ahead of a qualifying match against Germany Getty Images

Poland return to the UEFA European Under-21 Championship with a Group C opener at the MŠK Žilina Stadium against a Georgia side who are looking to build on an impressive debut campaign two years ago.

While Poland have not featured in the finals since 2019 – when they exited in the group stage for the second tournament in succession – Georgia reached the 2023 quarter-finals as co-hosts.

Group C is completed by Portugal and France.

Previous European U21 Championship meetings

Matches 6
Poland wins 4
Georgia wins 1
Draws 1
Poland goals 17
Georgia goals 8

Poland have won the last four competitive matches between the teams – the last three without conceding a goal – recording 3-0 victories both away and at home in the 2019 qualifying competition.

The teams were also paired in qualifying for the 2009 finals, Poland winning 3-1 at home and 5-0 away, Kamil Glik scoring twice in the latter fixture.

Georgia had won 5-1 in Tbilisi in the 1998 qualifiers, after a 2-2 away draw.

Form guide

Poland

This is Poland's third qualification in five editions, having not made the finals between 1994 and 2017, when they were hosts.

The last of those appearances came in 2019, when Poland lost out to Spain and Italy in a three-way head-to-head after all three teams had finished level on six points.

Poland have reached the quarter-finals on five occasions – in 1982, 1984, 1986, 1992 and 1994.

Third in their qualifying section for the 2023 finals, Poland – by now coached by Adam Majewski, who was appointed in September 2023 – reached this tournament as one of the three best runners-up, finishing second in Group D four points behind Germany having won seven of their ten games (D1 L2).

Filip Szymczak was Poland's top scorer in qualifying with five goals.

Georgia

This is the first time Georgia have got through qualifying or even reached the play-offs, but they made their finals debut as co-hosts in 2023.

Two years ago Georgia topped their group ahead of Portugal, Netherlands and Belgium before losing on penalties to Israel in front of a U21 EURO record 44,338 crowd in Tbilisi – not the first time they had set a new best at the Paichadze Stadium in the course of the tournament.

This time round Ramaz Svanadze's team were second to Netherlands in qualifying Group C, picking up 19 points from their ten games (W6 D1 L3). They then beat Croatia 7-6 on penalties after a 3-3 aggregate draw in the play-offs (1-0 h, 2-3 a aet).

Nodar Lominadze was Georgia's top scorer in qualifying with three goals.

Links and trivia

Antoni Kozubal made his Europa debut as a late substitute in Lech Poznań's 5-0 home win against Georgian side Dinamo Batumi in the 2022/23 UEFA Conference League second qualifying round first leg. Maksymilian Pingot made his own first appearance in the second leg of the same tie, a 1-1 away draw.