Ireland vs Croatia Preview Euro 2012 June 10th

Posted on January 6th, 2012

by Frederik in Euro Betting News

Ireland vs Croatia

The Republic of Ireland faces Croatia in a Group C Euro 2012 match in Poznan, Poland on June 10th. Ireland finished second in Group B in the qualification tournament, two points behind Russia with a total of 21 points from six wins, three draws and a loss. They then faced Estonia in a two-legged playoff and stunned the Estonians at home by shutting them out 4-0. The second leg saw the two teams play to a 1-1 draw.

Croatia also placed second in their group, which was Group F, as they fell two points short of table toppers Greece. The Croatians had 22 points from seven wins, a draw and two losses. They also had to enter the playoffs and shocked host Turkey 3-0 in the first leg before settling for a 0-0 draw at home in the return match.

Ireland hasn’t qualified for too many major tournaments over the years. They’ve played in three World Cups, in 1990, 1994, and 2002 with their best finish being the quarterfinal stage in 1990 in Italy. They’ve only made the European Championships once before, which was in 1988 in Germany and ended up in fifth place with a win, loss, and draw. They are surely not included in our winner betting for Euro 2012.

The modern Croatian team gained entry to FIFA in 1993 after being a part of the former nation of Yugoslavia for years. They’ve played in three World Cups with their best finish being third place in 1998 in France. They’ve managed to qualify for four previous European Championships and made it to the quarterfinals in 1996 and 2008.

History shows the slightest advantage for Ireland

These two nations have met six times in the past with Ireland winning two of them, losing one and drawing the other three. Their last meeting took place in August in Ireland and ended in a 0-0 draw. In their past five games overall up until Nov. 15th, Ireland has three wins and two draws while Croatia three wins, a draw and a loss.

Each team fields some world-class players with several of them playing in the English Premier League, such as Croatia’s Luka Modric, Vedran Corluka, and Ireland’s Shay Given, Damien Duff, Stephen hunt, and Kevin Doyle. In fact, the majority of the Irish team plays in England. However, their all-time leading scorer Robbie Keane now plies his trade with the MLS Champions Los Angeles Galaxy. Bet365 offers betting on first-, top goalscorer, betting on mobile and much more in this game.

Predictions for Ireland vs Croatia

Ireland has been playing well of late and will need to keep it up to beat the Croatians. With Spain and Italy also in Group C, this is going to be Ireland and Croatia’s best chance to earn some points. That’s surely something to keep in mind for all games when betting Euro 2012. Both teams need to take all three as a draw could hurt them in the long run. Look for the luck of the Irish to continue as they win this contest by a goal.

As of January, William Hill had the odds of an Ireland win listed at 11/5 with a Croatia victory at 11/10 and a draw at 2/1.