Spain vs Italy
Italy are in the spotlight due to match fixing scandals but beating Spain on Sunday would positively switch the public’s attention from matters in the court room to issues on the pitch. Defeating the European champions is certainly not an easy task but this is what the Azzurri must do to ease their pain.
They have won only 2 of their last 9 UEFA Euro matches so where will Cesare Prandelli’s men find inspiration to succeed at the PGE Arena on Sunday?
A repeat of their last meeting with Spain would suit them just fine. The 2006 World Cup champions last clashed against Spain in August 2011. They won 2-1. Today, Cassano is likely to start in Italy’s line-up. The Spaniards should watch out for the man who netted 6 goals for the Azzurri during the qualifiers. Cassano is expected to play alongside Mario Balotelli.
Spain, meanwhile, might play a 4-2-3-1 formation with Torres upfront, Silva and Iniesta in the wings and Busquets supporting Xabi Alonso as a defensive midfielder. Jordi Alba, Alvaro Arbeloa, Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique will need to be at their best in the absence of the influential Carles Puyol.
Spain vs Italy kicks off at 2:00pm EST at the PGE Arena Gdansk.
Ireland Republic vs Croatia.jpg)
At the Stadion Miejski in Poznan, the Republic of Ireland will begin their 2012 UEFA Euro Championship campaign with a difficult match against Croatia. On a positive note for the Irish, the head-to-head record reads only 1 victory for the Croatians in 6 meetings.
However, there has been a decline in the goal scoring form of the Irish. Since defeating Estonia 4-0 in the 2012 UEFA Euro play-offs, Giovanni Trapattoni’s men have found the net only 3 times in over 360 minutes of football. They enter their 2012 UEFA Euro opener with an unconvincing goalless draw against Hungary in the back of their mind.
With all-time top scorer Robbie Keane, the Republic of Ireland will try to be deadly from corners and free-kicks. No other side scored more goals from set-pieces than the Boys in Green (10) during the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Shay Given, O’Shea and Dunne may have to be at their best to stop Croatia from launching bombs with a certain Luka Modric at the head of affairs…
Get fixtures, results, video highlights and check where to watch the matches you want to see. Follow all this and more on our UEFA Euro 2012 page.
