Croatia midfielder Niko Kranjcar rates Spain as possibly the most beautiful football team in history; so it takes a special kind of self-confidence to believe his side can beat them today to reach the quarter-finals.

Midfielder Christian Maggio expects Italy to be put to the test by a strong Croatia side in today's European Championship Group C encounter in Poznan.

The Irish team faces an uphill journey, but the intrepid Pedal to Poland cyclists face a flat one as they power towards their final destination and that date with Spain.

If ‘doing a Greece’ seemed improbable, ‘doing a Switzerland’ and beating Spain on Thursday seems almost impossible, based on this toothless display

Croatia continue the countdown to their Euro 2012 opener against Ireland with a friendly against Estonia today.

In what might be accounted the first major surprise of Euro 2012, Liam Brady has predicted an unlikely winner for the tournament – Ireland’s Group C opponents Croatia.

AIDAN MULLEN has been watching Ireland matches since 1969 and has missed one home game in all that time. In fairness, he’d just had a heart attack.

The public is far more sophisticated now, though the national team’s style of football isn’t.

IT might not quite amount to a Russian revolution but change is definitely in the air for Ireland as Giovanni Trapattoni prepares to plot the nation’s course through the final four games of Euro 2012 qualification.

Wolves striker Kevin Doyle has been ruled out of the Republic of Ireland’s friendly against Croatia tomorrow night and will return to his club this afternoon.

FABIO CAPELLO has pledged to take England to the next World Cup in South Africa.

ENGLAND boss Fabio Capello was given a glimpse of what to expect next season as Luka Modric got Croatia’s Euro 2008 campaign off to a winning start against Austria.

MICHAEL CARRICK claims the new England team will know how good they really are by the reaction to their first setback.

Ashley Cole has been named in Arsenal’s Champions League squad for the coming season – but that will not stand in the way of the England full-back moving to Chelsea.

ITALY thrashed World Cup hosts Germany 4-1 in a surprisingly one-sided international friendly in Florence last night.

Croatia climbed to the top of World Cup European Zone qualifying Group Eight with a 3-0 win over Malta at the Stadion Maksimir.

France midfielder Claude Makelele admits the defending European champions are still not firing on all cylinders as the tournament enters its knockout stages.

France coach Jacques Santini may reinstate Claude Makelele, Robert Pires and Bixente Lizarazu to his starting line-up for the final Group B match with Switzerland where a draw would guarantee the defending champions a berth in the last eight.

France 2 Croatia 2

Niall Quinn and Matt Holland have been recalled to the Irish squad for the crucial Group Two World Cup qualifier against Holland.

Slaven Belupo 2 Aston Villa 1