Although Poland is a country steeped in football tradition this summer will be the first time they have appeared at a European Championship.

Nerves are unlikely to get in the way of Poland's desire to impress in Austria and Switzerland after they impressively qualified for the tournament by winning qualification Group A ahead of the likes of Portugal and Serbia.

Leo Beenhakker's side lost just two of their 14 qualifiers, winning eight in the process and finishing with a healthy plus 12 goal difference, helped by a 5-0 thrashing of Azerbaijan.

One of Poland's major obstacles that needs overcoming could be their crunch clash against Germany. Poland have never beaten their ill-loved neighbours, against whom they their Group B campaign this summer.

Poland also do battle with England's conquerors Croatia while their other Group B game will be no easy test as it pitches them against one of the home nations, Austria.

Head coach - Leo Beenhakker

At 65-years-old Poland's Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker is one of the most experienced managers in modern day football.

Although Beenhakker managed only an amateur playing career he has gone on to coach three different countries in three different World Cups.

After guiding Holland to the knock-out stage of Italia '90 he coached Saudi Arabia and Trinidad and Tobago in the 1994 and 2006 World Cups respectively.

Beenhakker made history in July 2006 when he was named Poland's first ever foreign manager.

Just 16 months later he achieved another first in the country's history when a 2-0 win over Belgium booked their place at Euro 2008 and their first appearance in a European Championship.

Star Player - Maciej Zurawski

Poland are not a team with one stand-out individual as Beenhakker's side is built around a sound work ethic and camaraderie within the squad.

But they do have some stand-out individuals including skipper Zurawski.

After swapping Celtic in the January transfer window for Larissa and the sunnier climate of Greece, Zurawski has enjoyed a renaissance.

The Poland captain was languishing in The Bhoys' reserves until a New Year switch to the Mediterranean restored the 31-year-old striker's love of the game.

Although he can spearhead an attack, his preferred position is just behind the lead striker, where his deft touches and deadly finishes causes numerous problems to the tightest of backlines.

Zurawski started all three of Poland's 2006 World Cup matches without finding the back of the net. He scored once in qualifying - the winner came in a 1-0 success against Armenia.

British interest

There is unlikely to be a significant amount of British interest in the Polish team this summer with just one of Beenhakker's 23-man squad plying their trade in the Premier League.

There had been two with Manchester United's Tomasz Kuszczak and Arsenal's Lukasz Fabianski included before Kuszczak was forced out at the 11th hour with a back injury, leaving Fabianski free to back up Boruc this summer.

Along with recognising Boruc between Poland's sticks, SPL fans will also be fully aware of Maciej Zurawski's abilities following a productive two-and-a-half year spell with Celtic.

Why they'll win

Greece proved four years ago any team can go all the way to be crowned winners, regardless of the abilities of the pre-tournament favourites.

With Poland well down the bookies favourites to lift this summer's trophy, Beenhakker's side will need to produce similar form to that of Greece in Euro 2004.

Like Greece back in Euro 2004 they have been paired against one of the hosts, but having qualified so convincingly it is hard to see how confidence could be higher going into this summer's Championship.

If you have got some extra cash to spare then Poland could well be a good outside bet for a cheeky fiver.

Why they won't

With Poland participating in the European Championships for the very first time it remains an unknown quantity how they will fare this summer.

Although the squad is packed with experience at the highest level in European football, there remain doubts of their ability to perform on the highest stage.

While their ability and desire cannot be questioned they will need to get off to a good start in Austria and Switzerland in June if they are to put their doubters in their place.