Saturday 9 June 2012

Republic of Ireland vs Croatia Preview

The second clash of the day will be between the Republic of Ireland and Croatia.


The Irish will be quietly confident after reaching their first major finals in ten years, under Giovanni Trapattoni the Republic of Ireland have become an organised, compact unit who are very difficult to beat. They will feel that with skipper Robbie Keane leading the line, there will always be a chance of scoring goals to back up their strong defense, helped of course by the great Shay Given (passed fit for the tournament).


This will be the last hurrah for Croatia manager Slaven Billic who will leave the role at the end of the competition, he will lead a side who along with the Irish, will be underdogs to qualify. With the likes of Luka Modric and Nikica Jelavic in their team, Croatia will take some confidence going into the tournament, however the loss of Ivica Olic to injury is a huge blow, as would be his rumored retirement.


With these teams being so well organised, I can see the game ending in a draw which will leave both sides facing an uphill battle to qualify you would have thought. I don't think either team will get a result against Spain but I can see upsets against the Italians.












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