While the Pole has prospered, so have Leverkusen, who under their coach Christoph Daum are in the Champions’ League and this season they have already beaten Bayern Munich, last season’s domestic title winners.”Previously Leverkusen were looked down on,” says Matysek. “It was referred to as the `plastic’ team because it was sponsored by the chemical company. Now they’re a top team.”Daum, who over the summer walked over broken glass as a way of showing the players how to overcome difficult challenges, is very different to the Polish coach Janusz Wojcik, the man who guided his country to the silver medal at the 1992 Olympics.”Those two are worlds apart,” says Matysek. “Players in the Second Division rarely pass to you, whereas that frequently happens with the Leverkusen players. It’s something that I’ve had to work on in the last 12 months.”Matysek’s good form, with the help of Leverkusen’s goalkeeping coach, Werner Friese, has meant that Heinen has been left on the sidelines. Gutersloh’s plans to build the team didn’t come to fruition and they’re now in the Third Division and have huge problems.

I hope that the team recovers.”Two summers ago negotiations broke down regarding potential moves to Borussia Dortmund and then Schalke 04. At the last minute he signed for Leverkusen, who were desperate to secure cover for the injured Dirk Heinen.In the Bundesliga the biggest difference for Matysek has been that he has had to use his feet as much as his hands. He signed for another German second division team, Gutersloh, where, as he puts it: “I made my name throughout Germany. He began his career with Slask Wroclaw before he crossed the border to join the German Second Division club Fortuna Cologne in 1993.

“When I was a child,” he said, “I always wanted to be a footballer but I never dreamed of playing in England or Germany”Matysek has endured his fair share of injuries and he missed a whole year after damaging his knee ligaments, which partly explains why he only regained his place in the national side last season after a five- year absence. I think England have a lot of problems and that Poland have a great opportunity to come second in the group.”Matysek, more than most, has particular reason to relish tomorrow’s encounter. Paul Scholes’ sleight of hand, along with his hat-trick, meant that the Pole was at the sharp end of things during England’s 3-1 demolition of Poland at Wembley back in March.That defeat was a rare black spot in a season when the 31-year-old goalkeeper finally came of age after a decade-long struggle to establish himself both at club and international level. “It’s interesting to look at the success of Manchester United and the Premiership, but it seems to me that that success isn’t reflected in the English national team. The team and I need to believe that we can come second in the group. The government is more stable and given time I think everything will fall into place.”The nation’s fragile state is reflected by the Polish football team “Our problem is psychological.