Euro 2012 Opta Stats: Ireland to stretch unbeaten run

Croatia won all three group games at Euro 2008 and have made the quarter-finals in two of their previous three appearances at the Euros
However, only one of the last four teams to have got through a European Championship group stage without dropping a point won their first game at the next edition, with two actually going out briskly four years down the line. Croatian success is rarely sustained over a lengthy period either. The last time they reached the quarter-finals was in 1996, after which they failed to qualify in 2000 and exited without a win in 2004.

The Irish have made it past the group stage in their last three appearances at major tournaments (1990, 1994 and 2002, all World Cups)
And a feature of each of those campaigns, as well as their European Championship debut in 1988, was that they ensured there was something to build on by avoiding defeat in their opener. Two of their last three 'first matches' were drawn and there is a strong case for this following suit: Croatia have claimed just one victory in four, Ireland are unbeaten in 14 and they have drawn six in ten, a run triggered by a friendly stalemate with Croatia last August.

No side scored more goals from set-piece situations than Ireland in qualification (10), while this contributed towards half of their total (50%)
Croatia meanwhile scored a high of nine headers in the process - 43% of their total - suggesting that both nations can be tarred with the 'set-piece specialists' brush. And the chances are that if you are experts at scoring in the air, you are also pretty solid at defending such situations as well. For this reason, a low goal count is likely, with Ireland's 11 clean sheets in 14 and 11 "unders" games in 13 further indicators of such an outcome.

Recommended Bets:
Lay Croatia @ 2.35/4
Back the draw @ 3.259/4
Under 2.5 goals @ 1.528/15

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