VS 
Location: Municipal Stadium Poznan, Poznan
The Republic of Ireland have won only twice in 11 games against Italy, but as the sides meet in their final UEFA EURO 2012 Group C game, they can take heart from what happened 18 years ago to the day.
• Ireland's campaign is already over following defeats by Croatia (1-3) and Spain (0-4), while Italy have drawn 1-1 against both Spain and Croatia and need three points to have any chance of staying in the competition.
• Italy have to win and hope the Croatia-Spain game does not finish in a draw of 2-2 or more. If the other game finishes 1-1 they must win by 3-1 or better to finish above Croatia or better than 4-0 to top the group. If the other game finishes goalless, an Italy win would take them through as group winners. Ireland are out but will finish third with a win.
Head-to-head record • Italy's record in 11 games against Ireland reads W7 D2 L2; their six competitive fixtures have ended W3 D2 L1. The teams have twice met in final tournaments, winning one game apiece. However, Italy have not beaten Ireland in their last three competitive meetings, and lost 2-0 in their most recent friendly encounter, in Liege on 7 June 2011.
• Irish fans, meanwhile, will remember that on 18 June 1994 – 18 years to the day before this encounter – Jack Charlton's side broke a run of six straight defeats by Italy at the FIFA World Cup finals in the United States, with Ray Houghton's goal (11) securing a 1-0 win.
• The nations first met on 21 March 1926, with Italy prevailing 3-0 (Baloncieri 13, Magnozzi 36, Bernardini 44) at the old Juventus stadium on the Corso Marsiglia in Turin.
• Modern-time encounters began 44 years later in the 1972 UEFA European Championship qualifiers. In Florence on 8 December 1970 , Italy won 3-0 again (De Sisti 22pen, Boninsegna 42, Prati 84) on target. The return in Dublin on 10 May 1971 yielded a third Italian victory, this time 2-1 (Conway 23; Boninsegna 15, Prati 59). Jimmy Conway had the honour of hitting the first Irish goal against Italy.
• Enzo Bearzot's world champions then visited Dalymount Park in Dublin for a friendly on 5 February 1985, winning 2-1 (Waddock 53; Rossi 5pen, Altobelli 18).
• A fifth straight Italian win put an end to the Republic's 1990 World Cup campaign in the quarter-finals.
• The teams then met twice in the USA, with the Foxboro Stadium in Boston the venue for a US Cup game on 4 June 1992. Arrigo Sacchi's team won 2-0 (Signori 17, Costacurta 67pen) – it was their sixth successive win against Ireland.
• After the 1994 World Cup, it was over a decade passed before the teams met again on 17 August 2005 in Dublin, when Marcello Lippi's team beat Brian Kerr's Ireland 2-1 (Pirlo 10, Gilardino 31; Reid 32).
• Since Giovanni Trapattoni took over in 2008, Ireland have remained unbeaten in three games against Italy, starting with two qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup finals. They drew 1-1 in Bari on 1 April 2009 (Iaquinta 10; Robbie Keane 88) and 2-2 in Dublin on 10 October 2009 (Whelan 8 St Ledger 87; Camoranesi 26, Gilardino 90).
