Oskar Pietuszewski has been called up by the Poland national team, worsening the absentee crisis facing FC Porto during the international break. The 18-year-old forward, who had just returned from a muscle injury, joins nine other Dragons already away on duty, leaving Francesco Farioli with limited options for training at Olival.
The summons for the youngster, who wears the number 77, came as a surprise following an injury to Benfica's Jakub Kaminski, which forced Poland coach Jan Urban to bolster his attacking options. Pietuszewski, who arrived at Porto two and a half months ago from Jagiellonia Bialystok, made his return to the pitch last Sunday in the derby against Benfica. He came on for the final ten minutes, replacing Pepê, and was applauded by the blue and white stands at the Estádio do Dragão, where Porto won 3-1 to solidify their lead at the top of the Primeira Liga with 21 points. This win maintains the team's impeccable form, with seven wins from seven games, a record detailed on our stats page.
Return cut short
His return to competition, after an injury since early August, was brief. The Polish player had resumed unrestricted training at the CTFD Jorge Costa just over a week ago and was preparing for an intensive period of work with the main squad after the rest period granted by Farioli. Now, instead, he travels to join teammates Jakub Kiwior and Jan Bednarek in the Poland camp, which has three UEFA Nations League B fixtures scheduled. If used by Jan Urban, it will be his fifth cap for the senior national team, after making his debut in March of this year.
This absence extends the logistical challenge for Porto's coaching staff. With ten players away, Farioli will have a drastically reduced squad to prepare for the next league fixture, the away trip to Marítimo on October 10th. The Madeiran club currently sits 11th in the standings, which Porto lead by five points over Benfica, a gap fans can track on our standings page. Supporters can also check the full list of absentees on our squad page.
Poland's final match of the break is on October 5th in Zenica against Bosnia at 19:45. Only after that date will Pietuszewski and the other internationals be able to return to Olival, leaving a very short window to prepare for the Marítimo match. The young forward, who has four previous caps, will thus have the chance to gain match rhythm in a different setting, while Porto look to maintain their domestic unbeaten run.
More detail at A Bola
