Republic of Ireland vs. Croatia: Euro 2012 Preview, Team News, Projected Lineups

On Sunday, Euro 2012 Group C play begins in Poland as the Republic of Ireland will take on Croatia in Poznan.

The home stadium of Polish club, Lech Poznan will host three matches in group play starting with Sunday's showdown.

Both clubs took a similar path to Euro 2012, with both nations securing qualification through the playoffs.

Fans of the Premier League will recognize most of the Irish squad, while only a few of the Croatians play outside of Eastern Europe.

Both nations go into the tournament as underdogs, and the first game of the competition is crucial to each nation's success.

How They Got to Euro 2012

Before we look at the game itself, it is worth looking back at both the Republic of Ireland and Croatia's qualifying campaigns.

Croatia played in Group F and finished in second place behind Greece.

Slaven Bilic's team were able to beat Turkey in the playoff round highlighted by a 3-0 away win in Istanbul.

Giovanni Trapattoni's Ireland squad finished second in Group B behind Russia but faced a much easier opponent.

The Boys in Green took down Estonia on a 5-1 aggregate to advance to Euro 2012.

Meet the Managers

Both managers have been with their squad for quite some time now, although that is about to change.

Slaven Bilic has been in charge of Croatia for six years, but Euro 2012 will be his last time managing this team, as he will leave for Lokomotiv Moscow after the tournament.

Bilic has led Croatia to three major tournaments, but they did miss out on the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

His record is fantastic, as the 43-year-old has only lost six of 59 matches in charge of Croatia.

Giovanni Trapattoni is 30 years older than Bilic, but he has still guided the Republic of Ireland to success.

After missing out on the 2010 FIFA World Cup due to the handball that rocked the world, Trapattoni guided his group of veterans to Euro 2012.

The last time Trapattoni entered a European Championship, he was manager of Italy and did not make it out of the group stage.

Recent Form

Both Ireland and Croatia played in two friendly matches before heading off to Poland.

Ireland beat Bosnia and Herzegovina thanks to a Shane Long goal on May 25th, and they played to a score less draw on Monday with Hungary in Budapest.

Croatia both won one and drew one as well.

Vedran Corluka, Nikola Kalinic and Ognjen Vukojevic all scored in the 3-1 victory over Estonia at home on May 25 and then drew 1-1 in Oslo with Norway last Saturday.

These two friendlies for each club can not really be seen a measuring stick for form, as Ireland had some injury concerns and Croatia did not field their full starting 11 in both games.

Irish Injury Concerns

For the past two weeks, Irish eyes have been on the status of keeper Shay Given and defender John O'Shea. According to the Telegraph, Given is ready to play on Sunday.

Given has fought calf and knee problems during the weeks leading into Euro 2012, but he will be in net in Poznan on Sunday.

The Daily Mail confirms that O'Shea is healthy to play against Croatia as well.

There was a brief scare for the Sunderland defender, as he picked up an ankle injury on the final day of the Premier League season.

Both Given and O'Shea are key parts of the Irish defense, and their health will be a big boost to the squad.  

Projected Starters: Goalkeeper

Croatia: Stipe Pletikosa

Republic of Ireland: Shay Given

Both starters for Sunday's game are experienced veterans at both the club and country levels.

Pletikosa is nearing 100 caps for Croatia, as he sits with 91 going into Euro 2012.

Given is the most capped player in Irish history with 122 and counting.

Both keepers are consistent, well-tested veterans and are solid options for their respective nations in net.

Projected Starters: Defense

Croatia: Danijel Pranjic, Vedran Corluka, Gordon Schildenfeld, Darijo Srna

Republic of Ireland: Sean St. Ledger, John O'Shea, Richard Dunne, Stephen Ward

Croatia has had captain Srna move into the back four with the development of the younger midfielders under Slaven Bilic.

Srna and Pranjic will play on the wing with former Spurs player Corluka and Schildenfeld, one of the newest players into the national team picture, at center back.

Schildenfeld is an interesting player to watch, as he applies his trade in the second level of German football with Eintracht Frankfurt and helped the club earn promotion and earn himself a spot in the starting 11.

For the Irish, O'Shea and Dunne are the wily old veterans in the middle, while the 27-year-old St. Ledger and 26-year-old Ward will provide width at fullback.

Projected Starters: Midfield

Croatia: Ivan Rakitic, Luka Modric, Ognjen Vukojevic, Ivan Perisic

Republic of Ireland: Aiden McGeady, Glenn Whelan, Keith Andrews, Damien Duff

The Croatian midfield is full of depth, and with the possible move of Srna to right-back, it opens up the midfield for one extra creative young player to be on the pitch.

Modric will be in the center with a cast of characters surrounding him.

Both Perisic and Rakitic are stars of the future, with Perisic finally breaking through with Borussia Dortmund this season.

Off the bench, Niko Kranjcar, the newest member of Dynamo Kiev, will provide an instant impact as well.

The Irish midfield picture is a bit more clear with Whelan and Andrews in the middle and the combination of Duff and McGeady out on the wings.

The Boys in Green also boast an impressive substitute off the bench in 23-year-old Sunderland winger James McClean, who had a breakout season in England this year.

Projected Starters: Forward

Croatia: Nikica Jelavic, Mario Mandzukic

Republic of Ireland: Robbie Keane, Kevin Doyle

The real star of this match up front is Jelavic.

The Croatian No. 9 had a breakout season with Rangers and Everton, as he scored a total of 28 goals in all competitions.

Mandzukic should set up behind Jelavic to start the game, but if the Croatians struggle look for former Arsenal and current Shakhtar Donetsk player Eduardo to come into the game.

Ireland's captain, Keane, will have all the focus on him up front with Doyle in a supporting role.

The Irish have a thing for showing up in major competitions, and Keane will be the man who will score the majority of the goals for his country.

Doyle is a solid forward in his own respect and could benefit from the attention given to Keane.

Prediction

Croatia vs. Republic of Ireland should be a closely contested match for all 90 minutes.

The explosive Croatian playmakers will no doubt give them scoring chances.

Modric is the provider of the team. And with the goal-scoring talent all around him, if they can all link up, it could be a long day for the Irish.

Republic of Ireland is a strong, well-built team who can play together at will.

The Boys in Green fit very well into the 4-4-2 formation that Trapattoni uses, and they hold a stubborn back line in front of Given.

The deciding factor in this match will be how the Irish defense holds up against the Croatian attack.

If the Republic of Ireland can hold Croatia to only a few chances, they should be able to counter with Keane and Doyle for a goal or two.

Prediction: Croatia 2, Republic of Ireland 1

The Croatian attack will prove to be too much in the end for the Republic of Ireland, and the Croatians will take a win going into their second group match.