Poland World Cup profile: Guide to squad, record, path to final,manager, team news, latest odds and star man

AFTER a long 12-year absence Poland are aiming to return to the World Cup with a bang.

With Robert Lewandowski proving himself lethal as they topped their qualifying group ahead of Denmark, the Poles have a real chance of causing an upset in Russia.

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Here's all you need to know about the team who will face Colombia, Japan and Senegal in the group stages.

In a nutshell: Returning to the finals after a 12-year absence, Poland might just be the surprise package of this summer’s tournament, not least because one of the most prolific strikers in the business leading their line. They breezed through qualifying and will be looking to advance to at least the knock-out stages.

Flag: No messing about here. Just two horizontal stripes in white (top) and red (bottom). They’re the national colours if you’re wondering.

Population: 38 million.

Nickname: Take your pick from Orly (The Eagles) or Bialo-czerwoni (The White and Reds).

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Manager: Boss since 2013, Adam Nawalka represented his country 34 times and made the team of the tournament at the 1978 World Cup finals in Argentina.

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Captain: Bayern Munich’s prolific striker Robert Lewandowski.

Star Man: See above. The 29-year- old scored a record 16 goals in the Poles’ qualifying campaign.

Rising Star: At 23, Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski has already won over 30 caps for his country and, like many other young players, could be a target for bigger clubs should he impress in Russia.

Most caps: Defender Michal Zewlakow (102).

All-time top scorer: That’ll be Robert Lewandowski again (52).

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Nice kit? Made by Nike, it is, as always, white with red trim but this time it’s got a large grey diagonal pattern stretching over it as if something hasn’t come out in the wash. For the away kit, it's red, red ,red.

Most offensive haircut? Look no further than Hull City’s Kamil Grosicki. Actually, don’t look in the first place.

Any names we can laugh at like kids? Not really, although there are some Scrabble gamechangers in there. Jakub Blaszczykowski with a triple word score? Game over.

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Rivals? Russia. And what a bitter rivalry it is. Whenever the two sides meet there’s invariably trouble on the pitch and almost certainly trouble off it.

National anthem: Mazurek Dabrowskiego, or Poland Is Not Yet Lost, was written after a late goal against Russia gave them hope of snatching a draw. That’s a lie. It was written in 1797.

Sample lyric:
Poland has not yet perished
So long as we still live
What the alien force has taken from us
We shall retrieve with a sabre

National dish: Bigos. It’s a gutsy stew that can be made with any meat as long as it’s always got a spicy Polish sausage in it.

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National drink: Wodka, or vodka to you and me. Produced from potatoes and grains it probably counts as one of your five a day too.

World Cup Finals Record: P31 W15 D5 L11 F44 A40

World Cup Win Ratio: 48.3%

Best World Cup Performance: Third place in 1974 and 1982

FIFA World Ranking: 6

Path to final: Poland will almost certainly face one of England and Belgium in the second round regardless of whether they finish first or second in Group H.

Claiming top spot would probably mean a rivals showdown with Germany in the quarter-final while Brazil would likely be waiting if they finish second.

The 'reward' for finishing top is likely to be a semi-final with Spain or Argentina while second place may see the Poles face France or their Euro 2016 conquerors Portugal.