Spain vs. Republic of Ireland: Euro 2012 Preview, Team News, Predicted Lineups

On paper, this is not an exceptional game by the standards of a major international tournament.

Spain are certainly a side that makes your mouth water with their unique style of play and the expectation that accompanies winning two major international tournaments in succession.

Few can intimidate opponents as the Spaniards can with their incredible passing game, and even fewer can point to a shimmering trophy case to do so. Despite an opening-game draw against Italy, Spain has not lost any of their swagger, nor will they lose any confidence in their footballing philosophy.

They face an Ireland side that is pretty much their antithesis in terms of ability and style.

The Irish rely more on grit and organization, rather than technical ability and fluid build-up play, to stop goals from going in and score the odd one themselves.

Both sides play a slow game, and this might be, in certain segments, a fairly boring encounter. But the difference between the two sides is that almost every player on the pitch for Spain can pick a glorious through ball to unlock the opposition's defence, while Ireland suffers from a chronic lack of inspiration.

Spain will undoubtedly be expected to win this game, and, against a team that they should beat, anything less would be a massive disappointment at this stage of the competition.

This match will not just play a large part in Spain's progression to the Round of 16—it will provide another test for Vicente del Bosque's controversial tactics and will go a long way toward proving their feasibility or stupidity.

More on that a bit later, though, as we move into team news for both sides. Spain have no fresh injuries, which is a relief to a side that was ravaged by them before the tournament.

Ireland, meanwhile, have even better news, as Darron Gibson and veteran Richard Dunne are returning to fitness following their respective thigh and foot injuries, giving manager Giovanni Trappatoni much-needed depth in midfield and guaranteeing that an essential old head will return to the starting XI.

Starting Lineups

Trappatoni has a number of interesting selection dilemmas due to recent good individual performances from a number of players.

After a stellar season with Sunderland, James McClean surely felt disappointed to be left out of the starting XI versus Croatia, and he could add the sort of spark that the Republic lacks at the moment outside of Aiden McGeady.

Simon Cox has looked lively for the national team for some time, and after a good appearance in the opening game as a substitute, he will be pushing for a starting place as well.

However, Trappatoni is a very conservative manager, and I expect a mostly unchanged lineup consisting of:

Shay Given, John O'Shea, Sean St. Ledger, Richard Dunne, Stephen Ward, Aiden McGeady, Dave Whelan, Keith Andrews, James McClean, Kevin Doyle and Robbie Keane.

Spain's lineup, meanwhile, has become the talk of the tournament due to its uniqueness and obvious weaknesses, which were obvious to even a casual observer against Italy.

Granted, the Azzurri were typically composed and organized in defence, but del Bosque's 4-6-0 formation produces a team that can pass better than any other side in the world but is unable to finish chances because there are no strikers on the pitch.

Only Cesc Fabregas was able to tap home a goal, while numerous golden opportunities created by the glut of creative midfielders on the pitch were wasted by players whose assists are typically valued more highly than their goals.

This formation only works well, in my opinion, when you are leading or have the luxury to patiently wait for a goal, but Del Bosque stuck with it late into a match that was not going Spain's way.

The Ireland fixture will provide another crucial test for the maverick lineup that will have to prove its success before it is used in elimination games later in the tournament—that is, if the manager uses it.

Del Bosque is extremely stubborn, and it would not surprise me if he stuck to his guns for another game. But, depending on the outcome of Italy vs. Croatia, Spain will have a huge opportunity to leap to the top of Group C by beating Ireland.

Thus, La Roja should line up as follows:

Iker Casillas, Alvaro Arbeloa, Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, David Silva, Fernando Torres.

In this scenario, del Bosque would swap Cesc Fabregas, who played as a "false nine," or an imitation striker, against Italy for an actual striker in Fernando Torres. Though much maligned, Torres has been in better form recently—despite fluffing a couple chances in his last game—and Del Bosque loves to play him, regardless of how he's actually playing.

With a team like this, Spain would have a healthy balance between creators and scorers, which, as you can see, is merely achieved by replacing Fabregas with Torres.

Ireland, for all their resolution and tenacity, are sure to be broken down eventually by one of the best teams ever to step onto a football pitch. Expect a fairly comfortable 3-0 win for Spain in which they work out their defensive kinks and really get their attacking game going.

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