Ireland vs. Croatia: Strong Defensive Play Will Be Key for Irish

While Croatia isn’t normally thought of as a powerhouse in the sport of world football, they may give a tough team from Ireland a serious test in Sunday's Euro Cup 2012 matchup.

The Irish must stick to their defensive guns if they want to avoid falling into the Croatians' plan of attack. If they stick to the fundamentals and avoid mistakes, Ireland should beat Croatia fairly easily.

When: Sunday, June 10 at 2:45 p.m. ET

Where: Stadion Miejski, Poznan, Poland

TV: ESPN, ESPN Deportes

Live Stream: ESPN3.com

Breaking Down the Game

While the Euro Cup comes around only once every four years, the timing for the Irish couldn’t have been any better. Led by arguably the toughest defense in the tournament, Ireland comes into their match with Croatia on a 14-match winning streak.

In a group consisting of Italy, Croatia and Spain, the Irish know how important it is to get a good start against the weakest team in the group. Using elite defense and timely scoring, Ireland must win the game outright and avoid the draw.

Oddsmakers (Bovada) have the possibility that this match ends in a draw as the most likely outcome, but the Irish need to win it outright. In a tough group, the winning streak must stay intact to have every advantage when they start playing the big boys in this foursome.

There is no doubt that the Irish will be in every match because of their stellar defense, but they must find the back of the net more often than they have in the recent past.

While it may have worked in the past, 0-0 scores will not win Ireland the 2012 Euro Cup.

Prediction: Ireland 2, Croatia 0

Starting from the goalkeeper to the very first striker, every Irish player commits to playing sound defense and keeping their team in a good position to steal a win. The key will be pushing the offensive tempo a bit more, and Ireland will find the net twice while still shutting Croatia down.

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