Raków Częstochowa returns to Ekstraklasa duty after a cup win, facing Zagłębie Lubin in the 8th round of the Polish top flight. The match will be played on Sunday, 15 September at 18:00 at the Miejski Stadion Piłkarski Raków.
The team from Częstochowa broke a run of four consecutive defeats by beating Motor Lublin 2-1 in the Polish Cup on Wednesday. This victory came after a tough league run that sees Raków sitting in 18th place with just three points from seven games. Their goal difference stands at minus seven, having scored eight and conceded fifteen. They trail league leaders Górnik Zabrze by a significant 15 points.
In the cup win over Motor Lublin, the decisive goals were scored by Patryk Makuch. He equalised in the 42nd minute from a Marko Bulat assist and then netted the winner in the 77th minute, set up by Vladyslav Kochergin. The visitors' goal was scored by Kamil Łukoszek in the 34th minute.
Coach Marek Papszun will be without two central midfielders. Adriano is injured with an expected return around 27 September. Erick Otieno is also sidelined with a muscle injury, with his comeback planned for 30 September. The full squad status can be checked on our squad page.
The opponents from Lubin come into this match following a 2-1 win over GKS Katowice. In their last five league outings, they have one win and two draws, placing them higher in the table than Raków. Their last away match ended in a goalless draw with Radomiak Radom.
After the clash with Zagłębie, the league takes a break for international fixtures. Raków's next league test is not until 7 November, when they travel to face second-placed Legia Warszawa. Before that tough challenge, the team has time to work on their form. The current fixture list is available on our fixtures page.
The match against Zagłębie is an opportunity to gather more points and slowly climb away from the bottom of the standings. Coach Papszun will need to find replacements for his injured midfielders to maintain the winning momentum from the cup game.
