Europa League preview: Who are Lech Poznan?
European football is back at Selhurst Park this Thursday as the Eagles kick-off our Europa League campaign against Lech Poznań (20:00 BST).
Their season so far
Polish football’s standard-bearers look well-positioned to make a real mark on the European stage this season.
Last season’s Ekstraklasa victory marked their second consecutive league title, as they finished four points above second-place Górnik Zabrze.
They had a busy summer transfer window – bringing in Celtic winger Luis Palma for £3.4m and Metz’s Terry Yegbe for £2.6m.
However, their European quest hit an early stumbling block this summer.
A frustrating penalty exit in the Champions League qualifying rounds to Danish side AGF saw them drop into the Europa League in July.
This came after a staggering second leg collapse. Poznań won the first leg 4-1 away from home, only to lose the return match by the same scoreline and crash out in the shoot-out.
Despite that early disappointment, Poznań have the squad depth and big-match experience to thrive in this league phase.
They reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Conference League in the 2022/23 season, where they were knocked out by eventual finalists Fiorentina.
They pulled off a number of impressive results during this run, including a 3-0 win over Villarreal and a 1-0 aggregate win over Bodø/Glimt in the first knockout round.
The Railwaymen were emphatic in Europa League qualifying, cruising past Faroese side Klaksvík 6-0 on aggregate before smashing Swiss team Thun in a 9-2 aggregate victory.
They do have a tough schedule in this years’ competition, taking on the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Benfica and Sunderland in the league phase.
Selhurst Park will prove to be a tough test for Poznań, but recent history suggests that that the ten-time Ekstraklasa champions will be no pushovers.
A top-16 finish will certainly be the aim for them and, if they are able to take maximum points from their home games, they could well finish in the top eight and go straight into the last 16.
Record against English clubs
Twice before Lech Poznań have faced English clubs in competitive European competition.
They met Liverpool in the 1984/85 European Cup over two legs in the Round of 16. The Reds triumphed 5-0 on aggregate with John Wark scoring a hat-trick, and would ultimately reach the final.
Poznań had to wait until 2010 for their next meeting with English opposition, drawn alongside Manchester City in the Europa League group stage.
City won the first meeting in Manchester, with Emmanuel Adebayor scoring a hat-trick in a 3-1 win.
But the Polish side got revenge in the reverse meeting, with a 3-1 win of their own. It was over these two games that City fans first saw 'the Poznań' goal celebration, which their supporters later adopted and have used since.
Lech Poznan Factfile;
- Manager: Niels Frederiksen
- Nickname: Kolejorz (translated as the Railwaymen)
- Ground: Stadion Poznań
- Club Founded: 1922
- Last season: 1st (Ekstraklasa Polish top-flight)
The Boss: Niels Frederiksen
Former Denmark Under-21’s Manager Niels Frederiksen has been the Head Coach at Poznań since 2024.
Whilst he didn’t have a professional playing career, the 55-year-old began coaching when he was 20 – starting out at Boldklubben 1913 in his native Odense.
He went on to manage a number of teams in the Danish Superliga, including Esbjerg fB, Lyngby and Brøndby.
Frederiksen led the latter to their first league title in 16 years, after beating Nordsjælland 2–0 on 24 May 2021, landing the club their 11th championship.
After a two-year break from the game, he returned to management on 14th May 2024, where he was unveiled as the new Lech Poznań boss.
Crystal Palace v Lech Poznan
- Thursday, 17th September 2026
- 20:00 BST
- UEFA Europa League: League phase matchday one
- Selhurst Park
- Live audio commentary on Palace TV+.