Raków Częstochowa face a key Ekstraklasa fixture on Monday when they host Pogoń Szczecin at the Miejski Stadion Piłkarski Raków. The hosts, sitting bottom of the table with just six points from 12 games, take on a team in superb form.

Pogoń Szczecin arrive in Częstochowa on a five-match winning streak in the league and occupy fourth place with 24 points. This clash pits the league's leakiest defence, Raków have conceded 28 goals, against its tightest, with the visitors letting in only nine in 11 matches. Pogoń manager Oscar Garcia, however, stressed his respect for the opposition. “We are going to Częstochowa to maintain our good run,” Garcia said. “We have seen a few of their matches. In many games they deserved more than they got. Their points tally does not reflect their situation.”

Raków will have to cope without several key players. Amorim will not feature, and the injured Frana Tudor is also ruled out. Pogoń have their own injury concerns, with Patryk Dziczek, Benjamin Mendy, Linus Wahlqvist and Jose Pozo all sidelined. Ali Hussein has returned to training but is unlikely to start.

For Raków, every point is vital in their battle to climb off the bottom. The team has endured a difficult period, evidenced by a recent 2-1 loss to Wisła Kraków and a 1-1 Polish Cup draw with Motor Lublin, which they only won on penalties. There are glimmers of hope in attack, however, as Lamine Diaby-Fadiga has scored four goals in his last three appearances, including a penalty in Kraków and a late equaliser against Motor. The team's top scorer remains Patryk Makuch with six goals.

The match kicks off on Monday, 2nd November, at 20:30 at the Miejski Stadion Piłkarski Raków in Częstochowa. The referee will be Szymon Marciniak from Płock, with Kornel Paszkiewicz and Adam Karasiewicz on VAR duty. In the head-to-head meetings this season, the record is even, Raków won 2-0 at home in March, and Pogoń returned the favour with the same scoreline in August. Dawid Szwarga's team now face the immensely difficult task of halting their opponent's excellent run and securing precious points in the fight for survival. Raków's next test comes in just a few days, and the full schedule of upcoming fixtures can be found on the fixtures page.

Background and full detail: gol24.pl