Slaven Bilic has neglected to ape Giovanni Trapattoni by naming his team in advance of Sunday’s Group C opener against Ireland in Poznan but it now seems certain the Croatian coach will ask Everton’s Nikica Jelavic to spearhead his attack.

Two of Ireland’s Euro 2012 group rivals have been hit by late injuries, with Croatian striker Ivica Olic out of the tournament with a ruptured thigh muscle.

Croatia were dealt a major blow today when striker Ivica Olic was ruled out of Euro 2012.

Ryan Bertrand has been pitched into the biggest game of his life tonight as the 22-year-old starts for Chelsea in their Champions League final clash with Bayern Munich.

The Spanish team may not be the only European champions Ireland face this summer.

Two first-half goals from Ivica Olic helped Bayern Munich to a routine win over Marseille that booked them a Champions League semi-final berth.

Bayern Munich 2 Marseille 0 (Bayern win 4-0 on aggregate)

Manchester City 2 Bayern Munich 0

CROATIA all but guaranteed themselves a place at Euro 2012 after hammering hosts Turkey in the first leg of their play-off at the Ataturk Stadium last night.

Turkey 0 Croatia 3

Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal maintains he has too many strikers and that signing another is out of the question, even if one of his current crop were to be sold.

OPINIONS varied in the Bayern Munich camp over how critical the absence of winger Franck Ribery was to their 2-0 Champions League final defeat to Inter Milan on Saturday night.

BAYERN MUNICH coach Louis van Gaal still does not believe his team are among the elite sides of European football even though they are now just one step away from winning the Champions League.

Bayern hat-trick hero Ivica Olic hailed last night’s performance as “the best match of my life” after his treble sent Bayern Munich to their first Champions League final since 2001.

BAYERN MUNICH cruised into their first Champions League final for nine years in France last night, courtesy of Ivica Olic’s hat-trick – and team-mate Arjen Robben immediately declared he wants Inter Milan and old boss Jose Mourinho in the final.

Lyon 0 Bayern Munich 3 (Bayern win 4-0 on aggregate)

THE conqueror of Fiorentina and Manchester United, Arjen Robben, again produced the moment of individual brilliance that settled a Champions League game, although the former Chelsea winger’s 70th-minute winner was just one of several talking points.

Bayern Munich 1 Lyon 0

The Examiner’s football correspondent Liam Mackey likes a good argument, and he’s got strong views of his own.

SO, for the first time in seven years, England doesn’t have at least one representative in the last four of the Champions League: so what.

ALEX FERGUSON last night slammed the behaviour of the Bayern Munich players after Manchester United’s Champions League exit at the hands of the German side.

MANCHESTER UNITED’S Champions League hopes were left in tatters at Old Trafford last night, where Bayern Munich produced a thrilling fightback to gain suitable revenge for events of 1999 and leave Alex Ferguson facing the unthinkable prospect of seeing his season disintegrate around him.

Manchester United 3 Bayern Munich 2 (aggregate 4-4, Bayern win on away goals)

Wayne Rooney has sensationally been named in Manchester United’s starting line-up to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals at Old Trafford tonight.

NEMANJA VIDIC is convinced Dimitar Berbatov is ready to answer Manchester United’s SOS call.

Alex Ferguson will send Wayne Rooney for a scan later this week to discover whether his worst fears are about to come true.

WAYNE ROONEY limped off with an ankle injury as Manchester United suffered an agonising injury-time Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich last night.

Bayern Munich 2 Manchester United 1

Maccabi Haifa 0 Bayern Munich 3

ENGLAND booked their ticket to the World Cup finals with a five-star performance at Wembley last night.

Emile Heskey has held off the challenge of Jermain Defoe to maintain his England spot for the crucial World Cup qualifier against Croatia at Wembley tonight.

Hamburg 2 Werder Bremen 3 (Werder Bremen advance on away goals after 3-3 aggregate draw)

Manchester City 2 Hamburg 1 (agg 3-4)

Hamburg 3 Aston Villa 1

Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill fielded a virtual second-string side for the UEFA Cup group clash away to Hamburg.

Valencia, Braga, Wolfsburg, Aston Villa, Hamburg and Ajax booked their places in the knockout stages of the UEFA Cup after a pulsating evening of European football that delivered 26 goals across eight games.

Croatia 1 Turkey 1 (Turkey won 3-1 on penalties)

Croatia 2 Germany 1

KENNY MILLER gave Scotland hope for the future with a fierce strike to spare new manager George Burley from a debut defeat against Croatia at Hampden.

Scotland 1 Croatia 1

A late goal from Bastian Schweinsteiger enabled Bayern Munich to stretch their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to six points with a 2-1 win at Bochum.

THE most pulsating, dramatic, heart-stopping contest of a thrilling World Cup ended with Australia booking a last-16 meeting with Italy. Harry Kewell’s 79th-minute angled drive sent the Socceroos bouncing into the knockout phase for the first time in their history.

Australia coach Guus Hiddink will again tell his team to attack as they aim for the win or draw which will book their passage to the last 16 of the World Cup.

Sporting Lisbon 1 CSKA Moscow 3