Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 8y

Germany defender Jerome Boateng: Lewandowski not Poland's sole threat

Germany's Jerome Boateng has warned his teammates that Poland's attacking threat is not limited to his Bayern Munich colleague Robert Lewandowski.

The two countries meet at the Stade de France in Paris in what will be their second Euro 2016 group game on Thursday.

Both come into the match with a win under their belts, with Germany beating Ukraine 2-0 and Poland seeing off Northern Ireland 1-0.

Whoever wins will take a giant step towards winning group C and, although Germany are favourites, Poland beat them during the qualifying campaign.

Defender Boateng said his side could not afford to be complacent and told a news conference: "Poland are a good opponent. They have a lot of good attacking players, not only Lewandowski.

"We [he and Lewandowski] play each other, we want the best for our countries, and we'll certainly clash on the pitch at some point.

"But whatever happens, it'll all be fine after the match."

Meanwhile, Poland-born Lukas Podolski praised the progress made by Poland in recent years.

He said: "There are several big talents, and they want to at least reach the knockout stages.

"They are on a good path and could get even make it past the last 16. They are the most dangerous opponent in our group. I hope we win the group, and Poland finish second."

Poland captain Lewandowski has said his team would need to be "calm and confident" to beat Germany.

He told reporters: "For me, Germany are the favourites -- and I mean the tournament favourites. They can reach the final and win it. We know how strong they are right now.

"But we will fight. Everything is possible in a tournament. We need to remain calm and be confident."

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