Italy vs. Croatia Start Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

Euro 2012 will continue on Thursday as Italy faces off against Croatia, a team that has given them headaches in recent years.   

Since the collapse of former Yugoslavia, Italy has failed to beat Croatia in each of their last five meetings. This matchup will have the attention from fans all across Europe as they wait to see if Italy can finally get over the hump and win a game against Croatia, the top team in Group C.

Where: Municipal Stadium, Poznań

When: Thursday, June 14 at 12 p.m. EDT

Live Stream: Live Stream at ESPN3.com

TV Info: ESPN2 and ESPNDeportes

Neutral Grounds:

With Ukraine and Poland hosting Euro 2012, neither Italy or Croatia will benefit from having a home field advantage. With a UEFA capacity of 40,000 at Municipal Stadium there shouldn't be a massive bias toward any one team in this game. They are on even grounds which makes for an even more exciting match.

Previous Matchups:

Italy just hasn't been able to pull out the victory when they play Croatia. Their last five meetings have resulted in three losses and two draws as Croatia has done a great job putting the clamps on Italy in recently history. One of Croatia's most notable victories was in the 2002 World Cup, in which they dropped Italy by a 2-1 score.

Players to Watch:

Italy's Antonio Di Natale put in a timely goal against Spain on Sunday to keep them alive in the tournament. He will be a dangerous player to look out for going into Thursdays game, and that might be enough to propel a confident Italian team to victory.

Said ESPNFC.com Eduardo Alvarez:

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"The Italians have recovered their self-esteem doing what they do best and in the process have become a worthy rival in the tournament."

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This boost of confidence will propel them into an electrifying game as they try to avoid another goose egg in their win column against Croatia.

For Croatia Mario Mandzukic proved to be an efficient scorer, which bodes well for his team moving forward. He had two goals on just two shots in Sundays victory over Ireland, and given the opportunity, he will be a terror to deal with against Italy.

Against Ireland, Croatia controlled the ball 55 percent of the time with eight shots on goal. This could be a problem for Italy if Croatia repeats this type of performance in the upcoming match.

Prediction Croatia 1-0

Croatia makes their shots count once they get in range for opportunities. Against Ireland, they poured on three goals with nine attempts on target. Italy's impressive defense will keep them at bay for most of the game, but they won't' hold on in the end. Croatia will expand their win total against Italy to 6-0 after Thursday.