Poland striker Robert Lewandowski has fired a warning to England and their No.1 goalkeeper Joe Hart ahead of the two sides’ World Cup qualifying clash on Tuesday, insisting the Three Lions have defensive problems his team will capitalise on.
The Borussia Dortmund striker was denied by the Manchester City goalkeeper’s heroics during last week’s 1-1 draw in the Champions League, but Lewandowski says Hart is not unbeatable – and neither are England.
And the 24-year-old believes his side will be able to exploit England’s “defensive problems” to get a victory in the crucial 2014 World Cup qualifying match.
“To be honest, we Dortmund played helped [Hart] a little bit in Manchester – and so did the crossbar!”, he told the Daily Mail.
“Besides, we scored one goal so it’s not like he is unbeatable or something. We can score past him.
“Maybe one goal like that will give Poland three points on Tuesday, and I hope to score it. We know England have had some defensive problems and we might just be able to surprise them.
“They’re always going to be a difficult team but they didn’t play so good at Euro 2012 and maybe we can hit form on the right day.”
England are top of Group H with seven points after three games, while Poland occupy third with four points from two games, so the upcoming game is crucial for both sides’ chances of qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil.
Hart insists he is looking forward to the clash, but hopes he will not be as busy as he was when he faced Lewandowski at the Etihad Stadium last month.
“Hopefully the game itself won’t be as open as the last time I played against [Lewandowski],” he told reporters. “It is a big, important game for us and I’m looking forward to it.
“That’s the beauty of international football – when you’re playing away you’re playing against the nation. But we will have that pocket of fans who we always take and are awesome. We will look to them and be inspired by them, which is great.”
Hart also revealed he has a lot of time for qualifying games for England, regardless of his remarkable rise to star status at City.
“I enjoy playing football, especially for my country in big games that really mean things,” he insisted. “That is the beauty of qualifiers and tournaments – they really do mean a great deal to myself as well.”