Milik outraged by talk of Polish complacency

Arkadiusz Milik was adamant Poland had no laurels to rest on as they prepared for their Group C opener against Northern Ireland in Nice. Some were concerned the Poles would take it easy in Sunday's game, but the 22-year-old Ajax attacker insisted no one was free-wheeling as he spoke on Friday.

On Poland being billed as favourites for their opening game ...

No, no, no. There is no way we will underestimate our opponents. First of all, Poland have never won a single game at a EURO final tournament. We did not win the World Cup two years ago, or the EURO four years ago. We have won nothing yet – nothing at all! Qualifying for the EURO was pretty cool for all of us, but sometimes you have to aim higher and keep setting new goals. And there can be no disrespect for our opponents.

On big expectations for Poland back at home ...

I'm aware of what's been going on in Poland. There is definitely a lot of hype – big demands, big pressure, big expectations. And it's football. We are in a great tournament. I am just trying to enjoy the fact I am here and enjoy every single day. We've not set ourselves a particular goal like 'We'd like to make it to the final'. The most important goal at the moment is simply to qualify for the next round. For now, we want to focus on 'A' rather than thinking about 'Z'.

On maintaining Poland's attacking style ...

We played attacking football in qualifying and we will try to keep playing like that in the finals. It is very important to make a good start to the tournament. It would be great to win. It would make it easier for us to play the next games – it would set us up nicely. It would take a lot of pressure off. Would I rather score goals than create them? When you get a nice assist you are pleased, but there's no point hiding the fact I'm happier when I score than when I set them up. But, of course, the team's success is what's most important, and if I can help, why not?

Meanwhile, Rennes winger Kamil Grosicki is a serious doubt for the Northern Ireland match. He has been training alone and seems a long shot to be fit in time – despite encouragement from home. "My dad calls me and says: 'Forget about the pain, the whole of Poland believe you can play.' I will do my best, but I still don't know if I will be ready in time. Even if I feel 98% I wont play; in a tournament like this you have to be 100% or more."