Veteran Lewandowski, 35, who has scored 82 goals in 150 caps, will miss the game with a hamstring injury but will be on the bench and could feature for Poland against Austria and France in Group D as well.

Midfielder and substitute captain Piotr Jelinski said on Saturday after training in Hamburg, where the match is being played: “It’s a pity that Robert Lewandowski can’t help us in this game. He’s a world-class player and we’re going to miss him. But whether it’s me or my teammates, we’ll do more to achieve the goal of winning.”

Coach Michau Probersch said his third game without Lewandowski would give other players a chance to shine during the Polish team’s generational transition.

“There is nothing to hide, we will miss it. But other players have to do everything they can to get a result. I hope he has more chances to play.”

Everyone says we’re going to lose, everyone is ignoring us. But we have a team that wants to fight.”

Poland, who qualified for the tournament only on penalties in a play-off with Wales, are without striker Karol Soederski with an ankle injury.

The Netherlands are struggling with their own injury problems, with playmaker Frenkie de Jong ruled out of the tournament but are strong favourites to beat Poland.

On the chances of the Dutch team, Jelinski said: “The Dutch national team is a well-known brand in European football, it is a great team, it ranks high in the FIFA ranking, but I don’t think the ranking will play such a role in the match. The qualifiers weren’t exactly what we expected. The most important thing is that we are here and we will do everything we can.”

Poland is supposed to have a lot of public support, both from its community in Germany and from many fans who have crossed the border, some on mass trains.