Puszcza for the first time

Puszcza are PKO BP Ekstraklasa newcomers. In June, the team from Niepołomice was promoted to the Polish top division through the playoffs and now, for the first time in history, they will play a league clash with Lech. Previously, the only competition where the two sides could face each other was the Polish Cup – Puszcza made it to the quarterfinals of the tournament four times but Lech never ended up competing against the team from Niepołomice. The Friday clash will be a first.

Over the past decade, there were a few similar "firsts". In the Polish Cup, facing a team for the first time is common since various clubs from lower divisions participate in the tournament. Interestingly, top-division newcomers also occasionally face the Ekstraklasa "seniors" for the first time. For instance, in 2017/2018, Lech played against Sandecja Nowy Sącz – the newcomers – in the first league game of the season, for the first time in the club’s history. Nenad Bjelica’s squad wanted to bounce back from a loss against the Norwegian team FK Haugesund (2:3), but to everyone’s surprise, Sandecja managed to leave Poznań with one league point as the match ended in a goalless draw. Moreover, the second clash between the two sides that season ended in the same score.

In the 2015/2016 campaign, Bruk-Bet Termalica joined Ekstraklasa as a newcomer. However, in this instance, Lech has already faced the opponent in the past, but in a different competition – back in August 2013, Mariusz Rumak’s squad travelled to Nieciecza for a Polish Cup game and defeated Termalica 4:0.

That same season, Lech faced Miedź Legnica for the first time in a Polish Cup game – years before the two teams would fight against each other on the league pitches. Interestingly, in that Polish Cup edition, it was Miedź that turned out to be better – a 2:0 win put them through to the quarterfinals.