Nikolics the big threat for Polish outfit

LEGIA Warsaw earned headlines for an unfortunate reason in 2014 when dumped out of the Champions League for fielding an ineligible player.

Legia won the third qualifying-round tie 6-1 on aggregate but brought on Bartosz Bereszynski for the last four minutes of their 2-0 second-leg victory at Murrayfield, while he was supposed to be serving a suspension following a red card for violent conduct in the previous season’s Europa League.

UEFA punished the Polish club by awarding the game 3-0 to Celtic, meaning the Scottish champions progressed on away goals having lost the first match in Warsaw 4-1 – a game in which Ivica Vrdoljak missed two penalties.

Bereszynski was sent off against Apollon, earning a threematch suspension.

He missed both legs of Legia’s tie against St Patrick’s Athletic (which they won 6-1 on aggregate) in the second qualifying round and also sat out the 4-1 first-leg victory over Celtic.

However, it emerged that Bereszynski, who plays at rightback, had not been registered in Legia’s squad for the second qualifying round, and so the matches did not count towards his suspension.

This is Legia’s first appearance in the Champions League since, and to set up the Dundalk clash they beat Zrinjski 3-1 on aggregate, and Trencin 1-0.

All of the goals were scored by 28-year-old Nemanja Nikolics, who bagged 28 in last season’s league campaign.

So far in the league, Legia Warsaw are unbeaten after four games, most recently a scoreless draw on Sunday against Piast Gliwice. They sit eighth in the table on six points.

Eleven league titles have come their way, as well as a record 18 Polish Cup wins.

Legia have competed in the group stage of the Europa League for each of the last three seasons, losing to Ajax in the Round of 32 in 2015, while in the top competition (European Cup/ Champions League) they were semi-finalists in 1970, and twice quarter-finalists (1971, 1996).

The teams plays at the 31,000-capacity Pepsi Arena. The former Polish Army Stadium is currently owned by the City of Warsaw.

The club has a long military history, and was known as the main official football club of the Polish Army.