UEFA EURO 2012 | ITALY VS. IRELAND WHO WILL ADVANCE?

UEFA EURO 2012 | ITALY VS. IRELAND WHO WILL ADVANCE? Match starts at 2:45 AM GMT +8:00

Ireland’s 7 losses against Italy are enough to fuel the Irish fire and reclaim their lost honour and glory. Drawing inspiration from Jack Charlton, Ireland is set to grab victory. As a matter of fact, Ireland got the upper-hand during their last three (3) matches. These wins foretell that Ireland shall not be kind to Italy during its EURO matchup this June 19.

Meanwhile, Italy’s Azurri is serious in taking the crown back. The Italian squad is hungry for yet another title. It has been years since they won the EURO Championship title in 1968 and after making two (2) semi-final appearances, Italy would never let Ireland get into their way.

Will Italy make it to the finals or will Ireland put a stop into Italy’s quest for victory?

THE NUMBERS

• Total previous matches: 6
• Italy – 7 Wins
• Republic of Ireland – 2 Wins
• 2 Draw
• Previous EURO Head to Head Matches
• None

Italy must tackle three points in their final Group C match cons of Ireland. Series or lose, Gli Azzurri have to return home. In fact, any win, Italy may not be able to qualify for the quarter-finals. Italy has always followed the Euro or World Cup event since 1992, they have never been absent until now. While Ireland's Euro 2012 is the first event they qualify for the EURO group stage since making his debut in 1988. In 1988, Ireland had beaten England, but they did not qualify from group stage after a series against the Soviet Union and the defeat of the Netherlands.

Italy's record of 11 so far is 7x Irish victory, 2x serial, and 2x less.

Of the six official matches of both teams, Italy won 3 games, 2x serial, 1x and losing.

This is the first time for Ireland's success to the group stage since making his debut at EURO 1988. In 1988, Ireland had beaten England, but they did not qualify from group stage after a series against the Soviet Union and the defeat of the Netherlands.

Italy is currently ranked the 12th FIFA World Ranking, while Ireland was ranked the 18th FIFA World Ranking.

PREVIOUS MATCHES

ITALY	IRELAND
June 14, 2012: Italy 1-1 Croatia (EURO 2012)	June 15, 2012: Spain 4-0 Ireland (EURO 2012)
June 10, 2012: Spain 1-1 Italy (EURO 2012)	June 11, 2012: Ireland 1-3 Croatia (EURO 2012)
June 2, 2012: Italy 0-3 Russia (Friendly Match)	June 5, 2012: Hungary 0-0 Ireland (Friendly Match)
March 1, 2012: Italy 0-1 USA (Friendly Match)	May 26, 2012: Ireland 1-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina (Friendly Match)
November 16, 2011: Italy 0-1 Uruguay (Friendly Match)	March 1, 2012: Ireland 1-1 Czech Rep. (Friendly Match)

POSSIBLE LINEUPS

Buffon

Bonucci - Barzagli - Chiellini

Maggio - Marchisio - Pirlo - De Rossi - Balzaretti

Cassano - Di Natale

Coach: Cesare Prandelli (Italy)

Ireland:

Given

O'Shea - Ledger - Dunne - Ward

Duff - Andrews - Whelan - McGeady

Cox - Keane

Coach: Giovanni Trapattoni (Italy)