Lee Dixon
Former Arsenal and England defender on BBC Radio 4

I spoke to Gareth recently and he said the difficulty is that when they first meet up they have to go through testing and the boys are basically in their rooms for 24 hours. That camaraderie and team spirit that this squad clearly has is a real big part of the team. The fact they couldn't be together was difficult. But now they are in a bubble, training and eating together and there seems to be a real bond between them.

Gareth can take a lot of credit for that. The pathway he has given for the young players to get into the team has been spot on.

So, while I started this live commentary talking about the time Poland hurt England, but in truth the Three Lions have dealt our far more than they've received to the Poles down the years.

England have lost just one of their 19 matches against Poland (W11 D7). The game they did lose - 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier in June 1973 in Chorzow - was during the same campaign that contained that famous game at Wembley.

England have actually won their past seven home matches against Poland, a run stretching back to 1989.

Speculation over the future of England captain Harry Kane has been present throughout this international camp with the Tottenham striker yet to win any major silverware with his club side.

Spurs are sixth in the Premier League table, three points off a Champions League spot, while they face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on 25 April.

Southgate does not expect Kane to be distracted by the speculation, with the European Championship looming.

"He is always focused on the next match, he's someone who can absolutely put anything to one side," added the England boss.

"I've got no worries about Harry Kane, he's a fantastic professional.

"I had a chat with him and he's very positive about the club. He was speaking about being close to Champions League and the League Cup final."

Poland are managed by Paulo Sousa. You may remember him from his time as boss of QPR, Swansea or Leicester. He played a bit too and was pretty damn good.

He's had this to say about England ahead of the game tonight...

"The Premier League is the best league in the world and Gareth Southgate has one of the best national teams in the world," said the Portuguese.

"We need to take care with the spaces between the lines and to defend well the space behind our defensive line."

Probably wouldn't hurt if Wojciech Szczesny got a case of the Tomaszewskis, either.

Matt Upson
Former England and West Ham defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

Poland are England's biggest threat in the group. This first match, be it home or away, is hugely important that England win. It puts a bit of a buffer against the other team. England have shown they will be quite comfortable in the other matches but this will be a real test.

Lee Dixon
Former Arsenal and England defender on BBC Radio 4

This game is a step up. Lewandowski not playing will hurt them but they still have some good players. If they get a win tonight, going in to the next set of qualifiers and Euros, we will see that confidence like we did at the World Cup. I'm not sure they are favourites, as some bookies have them, but I think they'll go quite deep in the tournament.

BBC Radio 5 Live

We've not just got live text commentary of this game tonight. Oh no. If you wish to, you can also listen to commentary courtesy of BBC Radio 5 Live. To do so, click on the play button at the top of this page or go old school with an actual radio. Google it kids.

We've already had one England game today and it did not go well for the Under-21s in the European Championships. It was going well, with Aidy Boothroyd's side leading Croatia 2-0 and heading to the last eight. Then it wasn't going well at all when Croatia scored in injury time to send the Three Lions out.

Have a read of the report here.

Matt Upson
Former England and West Ham defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

Total heartbreak for Poland. Lewandowski is a player in great form and Poland will miss him. From England's point of view, it is a positive in terms of a potential result. But if you are a centre-back and in the place England are in at the moment it would be good to play against one of the world's best. It is good for the team and for individuals to put themselves against players like that.

Gareth Southgate believes Poland are a team full of quality despite Lewandowski's absence.

"From our perspective you're going to have some players very hungry to fill that opportunity," he said.

"They're a proud country and proud players. We need to keep stepping up."

I mean, yeah, what else is he going to say?

Image source, Getty Images

It has been a bit of a rough international break for Poland, who have had to deal with a couple of positive Covid tests - for Lukasz Skorupski and Leeds midfielder Mateusz Klich - and come to Wembley without their star man, striker Lewandowski.

The Bayern Munich man's absence is a truly huge blow for the visitors tonight. He has scored 47 goals in 42 appearances for club and country this season, including two against Andorra and another in the 3-3 draw with Hungary this international break.

I'm sure there will be some England fans out there who are glad he isn't playing, to boost England's chances of success. Personally, I'd rather he play, to enjoy him in action and also to give that Three Lions a much-needed top-level test.

Lee Dixon
Former Arsenal and England defender on BBC Radio 4

I'm a lot happier waking up this morning and realising Lewandowski isn't playing. The realisation put a big smile on my face because he is a massive threat and the fact he is not playing will give England an even better chance. They don't have a great record against us. We seem to play them every five minutes but we always seem to get the job done and I don't see that being any different tonight.

They will make it difficult for us but with the talent we have on show I think it will be three wins out of three.

Just the one change for England from the side that won 2-0 in Albania. That change sees Chelsea's Ben Chilwell start at left-back ahead of Manchester United's Luke Shaw.

There is no James Ward-Prowse in the squad with the Southampton midfielder returning to his club early as a fitness precaution.

Krzysztof Piatek is the man Poland will likely look to, to provide the goals in Robert Lewandowski's absence. He is in the middle of a Polish front three that also includes Bartosz Bereszynski and Piotr Zielinski (at least according to the Fifa team sheet).

Southampton's Jan Bednarek starts, as does Brighton's Jakub Moder.

Focusing firmly on the present and England come into this game with a 100% winning record after two group games, courtesy of victories over San Marino and Albania.

Poland are second in the group behind Gareth Southgate's lads, with four points from their two matches.

When the draw was made, we knew these two would be the front runners.

Here is the team news...

The circumstances tonight are, of course, very different. It's still a World Cup qualifier, but we're only a few games into the group and there isn't anywhere near as much on the line.

However, to England fans of a certain generation, a small shudder may go down their spine in memory of a night in October '73 that has gone down in English and Polish folklore, for very different reasons.

If you want to put yourself through it, the highlights are available on YouTube...

No matter how much time passes, Poland at Wembley in a World Cup qualifying match will always evoke memories of 1973 and Jan Tomaszewski to those who were alive to witness it.

Dubbed a "circus clown in gloves" by Brian Clough on TV before the match, his heroics helped Poland hold England in a game Sir Alf Ramsey's side needed to win to reach the 1974 World Cup finals.

England had 36 shots to Poland's two, forced 26 corners, hit the woodwork twice and had four efforts cleared off the line.

Happy times, eh?

Poland. Coming to Wembley. For a World Cup qualifier. What could possibly go wrong?

Image source, Getty Images