Euro 2012 Open Thread: Italy v. Croatia, Spain v. Republic o' Ireland

Italy v. Croatia
Euro 2012 Group C Round 2
Thursday, June 14, 12 PM EDT Kickoff
TV: ESPN / ESPN 3 / ESPN Deportes

Spain v. Republic of Ireland
Euro 2012 Group C Round 2
Thursday, June 14, 245 PM EDT Kickoff
TV: ESPN / ESPN 3 / ESPN Deportes

Italy take on Croatia in today's first game, and since I don't know much about either of those teams I have nothing of import to say about the game. If Croatia win they're almost certainly through to the next round, though. The second game could be either very interesting or a complete walkover, with Spain taking on the Republic of Ireland; I have a soft spot for Irish sport as my family go back many generations in Ireland, but they're not very good at this whole soccer thing, so there's that. I hope Ireland can make a game of it, but we shall see. If Spain win, they've got one foot in the next round and would only need a point in their last match to get through.

Spain Lineup (4-3-3): Iker Casillas; Jordi Alba, Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Alvaro Arbeloa; Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets, Xavi; Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, David Silva

Ireland Lineup (4-4-2): Shay Given; Stephen Ward, Sean St. Ledger, Richard Dunne, John O'Shea; Aiden McGeady, Keith Andrews, Glenn Whelan, Damien Duff; Robbie Keane, Simon Cox

Italy (3-5-2): Gianluigi Buffon; Leonardo Bonucci, Daniele De Rossi, Giorgio Chiellini; Christian Maggio, Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo, Thiago Motta, Emanuele Giaccherini; Antonio Cassano, Mario Balotelli

Croatia (4-4-2): Stipe Pletikosa; Ivan Strinic, Gordon Schildenfeld, Vedran Corluka, Darijo Srna; Ivan Perisic, Luka Modric, Ognjen Vukojevic, Ivan Rakitic; Mario Mandzukic.

You know the rules, you know the penalties for not following the rules; lineups will be posted as they're made available.