Slovakia breathes easy: Marek Hamsik will be at this Monday's premiere against Poland in Saint Petersburg (6pm, Four). The great reference of the Slovaks has been in cotton for days due to an injury in the calf, has been doubt until the last moment but has confirmed in the previous press conference that he is ready: “I am happy, fit to play. I hope to be able to play the full game ”.
The former Napoli, who currently plays for Turkish Trabzonspor, appreciated what the match against the Poles means: “We are excited. It is a special match, we cannot wait any longer to play. We have been preparing for many weeks and we are very motivated. We just want this to start now, to give our best version. We know that Poland are strong, especially in attack. That is why we must be together, focused on defense”.
It should be remembered that this is the other match of the Spanish group, which after playing against Sweden must face each other, also at La Cartuja in Seville, against Poles and Slovaks. All other group matches are played in Saint Petersburg (Russia).
Stefan Tarkovic, Slovak coach, also gave his impressions before the premiere: “The opening game is exciting, we have been preparing for a long time. Players are eager to play. We are happy because everyone has tested negative for COVID, everyone is ready to play ”.
Finally, the coach valued the moment of Poland, which arrives with Paulo Sousa with a few months on the bench (he took over the selection on January 21, 2021): “They have a new coach, who has introduced new elements, has made a transformation. He hasn't had much time just this preparation and the March break. We have done our homework to stop them ”.