#PoPucharWi5ło: Preview of the FORTUNA Polish Cup Final

It's tomorrow! In less than 24 hours, the first whistle of the long-awaited Polish Cup final will sound. Pogoń Szczecin and Wisła Kraków will battle it out for the trophy. The culminating spectacle of the 70th edition of the cup competition will begin on May 2nd at 4:00 PM at the National Stadium.

Both clubs had to overcome numerous difficult matches on their way to Warsaw. On their way to the cup, Pogoń faced Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała, then Górnik Zabrze and Lech Poznań, both of which required extra time to decide. In the semifinal, played at home, the Blue-Bords hosted Jagiellonia Białystok, currently the Ekstraklasa leaders. Again, an extra half-hour of play was necessary, with Ulvestad scoring in the 98th minute to make it 2-1, sending the Pogoń side into the grand final.

A potential victory in tomorrow's match opens the door to a later berth in the Polish Super Cup, as well as a spot in the Europa League qualifiers. Our rivals currently sit 7th in the Ekstraklasa table, but still have a realistic chance of finishing the season on the podium and thus advancing to the Conference League qualifying round for the fourth consecutive year. For Wisła Kraków, this would be their first UEFA-sponsored competition since the 2011/12 season and their two-legged tie with Standard Liège.

As for the Polish Cup trophy itself, Wisła has already placed it in its club cabinet four times – the last time was in 2003, defeating Wisła Płock 3-1 in the then-current final. Pogoń Szczecin, on the other hand, has never lifted the trophy in its history. Szczecin came close in 2010, but then had to concede to Jagiellonia Białystok. Eliminating them in the semifinals is, in a sense, revenge, but it won't really mean much if it doesn't end in a final victory.

Wisła Kraków are now over an hour and a half away from winning their fifth Polish Cup. The stands in Warsaw will be packed with fans dressed in red, creating an electrifying atmosphere and cheering their team on as they head towards the title. We all believe that at the end of the day, the Cup will travel to Kraków with us!

FOR THE CUP!