Vicente Del Bosque’s charges take on the Balkan threat in their final group match for a place in the quarter-finals while the Azzurri cast dubious eyes on the fixture.
The final round of Group C matches pits Republic of Ireland versus http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Spain-c3011 take on the challenge of Slaven Bilic’s Croatia. With Euro 2012 quarter-final position at stake, it is a high stake Monday for Spain, Croatia and Italy.
Nevertheless, all eyes are on Croatia vs. Spain as the two Group C leaders meet up. A victory for either side can propel them to pole position in the group, while a draw fuels controversy theories, especially a 2-2 draw.
The said stalemate will knockout Cesare Prandelli’s Italian team, irrespective of whatever result they might be able to conjure against an out of sorts Republic of Ireland outfit.
Spain go into the match with three wins and a draw in their last four international matches, while Croatia boasts of two victories and an equal number of ties.
However, it is the formation of La Roja side that will be most interesting to look at. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Vicente-c36001 Del Bosque is known for tinkering his line-up and showed the wild side of his character by starting Spain’s Euro 2012 first match without a recognized striker, sending out a six man midfield to unsettle the Azzurri.
The former Real Madrid player and coach returned to normalcy in the defending champions meeting with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Republic-of-Ireland-c2987, earning an important 4-0 victory to claim top spot in the group.
Del Bosque should go with a 4-5-1 formation with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 forward was clinical in his latest outing in the red jersey and should be expected to start again with Cesc Fabregas being consigned to the bench.
Irrespective of the final eleven, La Roja are expected to hogging possession at the expense of their Balkan rivals, who will be left to making the most on counter attacks.
Star player for Slaven Bilic will be Tottenham midfielder, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Luka-Modric-c22857. The pint sized playmaker has the uncanny ability to split defences in the blink of an eye and can provide valuable service for the strikers.
Wolfsburg forward, Mario Mandzukic, will be the Balkan nation’s major threat on goal after managing to hit the back of the net in their previous two matches.
The match is expected to be full of fire as the two competitors take on the pitch. After their initial stutter against Italy, Spain have the momentum on their side with the victory over Ireland still fresh on their minds.
On the other, Croatia have a strong run on their back in the European Championship, as they are still without a loss in their last six matches and that defeat come on penalties outside regulation time.
Interestingly, it is the first time in a competitive environment that the Balkan nation takes on the challenge of World champions. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Croatia-c2879 have a 2-0 1994 victory to boast off, in addition to one stalemate and two defeats.
While Cesare Prandelli’s Azzurri are expected to win against whipping boys Ireland, qualification from Group C hinges on the result of the match. As previously mentioned, a 2-2 or a higher draw is in favour of the two competing sides, with any other result favouring the Italians.
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