Spain vs. Ireland Live Stream: Online Viewing Info for Euro 2012 Match

Reigning European and World Cup champion Spain was only able to muster a draw in its Euro 2012 opener against Italy. La Roja will look to get back on track by claiming all three points against Ireland in a Group C match on Thursday.

The Boys in Green were overpowered by Croatia in their first group game en route to a 3-1 loss. Ireland must earn at least one point against Spain to have any hope of advancing heading into the final match of the round.

Here's a breakdown of all the important information for today's clash, including a trio of players to watch as both teams look to find a path to the knockout round.

Where: PGE Arena in Gdansk, Poland

When: Thursday, June 14 at 2:45 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN2

Live Stream: ESPN3.com

Players to Watch

Xavi (Spain)

The main reason Spain's offense wasn't as effective as usual against Italy was a lack of players looking to attack the net. La Roja had several playmakers on the pitch, but no true strikers. While that led to a good amount of possession, it didn't create enough good chances.

It's a sign that Xavi, who has made 110 appearances for the national team, needs to step up and get his teammates to play specific roles instead of overlapping each other so much. Spain has too much talent to get shut down like it was for periods against Italy.

Ireland will likely employ a defensive approach in hopes of keeping the game close. La Roja can't let that frustrate them. As long as they get back to basics, they should be fine.

Andres Iniesta (Spain)

Iniesta is Xavi's teammate at Barcelona, so the duo should have pretty good chemistry in the midfield. What Iniesta needs to do is start being more aggressive moving forward while letting Xavi handle more of the distribution duties.

Even though that might cause him to leave his comfort zone, somebody needs to take the bull by the horns for Spain. Since the team's striker depth is limited without David Villa, one of La Roja's talented midfielders has to fill the void.

Iniesta's combination of vision and poise in front of goal make him the ideal fit for the role. Look for him to raise his level of play against Ireland.

Shay Given (Ireland)

No Ireland star will be under more pressure against Spain than Given. The veteran goalkeeper is the most experienced player on the squad and will need to have one of the best games of his career for Ireland to keep it close.

Given allowed three goals against Croatia, but really couldn't have been blamed on any of them. The third goal was more bad luck than anything else after a shot hit the post and then Given before crossing the line.

With La Roja looking to rebound from a lackluster performance, Given should expect shots from just about every angle throughout the match. Ireland's chances are in his hands.