Italy and Ireland finish Group E campaign

Italy and the Republic of Ireland come together in their final group match for the second UEFA European Championship in succession, with Martin O'Neill's side out for revenge in Group E.

Previous meetings
• Italy's record in 13 meetings with Ireland is W8 D3 L2 (W4 D2 L1 in competitive games), with three of the nations' five most recent encounters ending in draws.

• At UEFA EURO 2012 in Poznan – their first UEFA European Championship final tournament encounter – Cesare Prandelli's Italy overcame Giovanni Trapattoni's Republic of Ireland 2-0 thanks to goals from Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli.

• The teams for that game on 18 June 2012 were:
Italy: Buffon, Chiellini (Bonucci 57), Motta, Balzaretti, Abate, Marchisio, Cassano (Diamanti 63), Di Natale (Balotelli 74), Barzagli, De Rossi, Pirlo.
Ireland: Given, St Ledger, Ward, O'Shea, Dunne, Whelan, McGeady (Long 65), Andrews, Doyle (Walters 76), Keane (Cox 86), Duff.

• It was the fourth time that Trapattoni had led Ireland against his compatriots and his first defeat after two 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying draws and a 2-0 friendly win in Liege in June 2011.

• A Salvatore Schillaci strike in Rome was enough for Italy to eliminate Ireland in the quarter-finals of the 1990 World Cup. Four years later Ireland defeated the Azzurri by the same scoreline during the group stage courtesy of a Ray Houghton goal.

• The countries also crossed paths on the road to the 1972 UEFA European Championship, Italy winning 3-0 at home and 2-1 away, with Roberto Boninsegna and Pierino Prati on target in both games.

• Most recently, Martin O'Neill's Ireland held Prandelli's Italy to a 0-0 draw in a friendly in London in May 2014.

EURO facts – Italy
• This is Italy's ninth EURO final tournament and their sixth in a row since missing out on the 1992 edition in Sweden. Only twice have they failed to advance through the group stage – in 1996 and 2004.

• Italy won the 1968 EURO and have been losing finalists twice since – in 2000 and 2012.

• Italy (W7 D3) were among four teams undefeated in qualifying alongside England, Austria and Romania. Italy have the longest ongoing unbeaten UEFA European Championship qualifying run, having avoided defeat in each of their last 30 qualifying matches.

• Italian clubs' record in five away games in Lille is W2 D1 L2. Most recently, Internazionale Milano beat LOSC Lille 1-0 in the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League group stage.

EURO facts – Republic of Ireland
• The Irish are competing at their third EURO, but have yet to make it through the group stage. They lost all three of their games at UEFA EURO 2012.

• Ireland's biggest achievement to date came at the 1990 World Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals.

• The only previous Irish side to have played a UEFA game in Lille is Shelbourne, who lost 2-0 to LOSC in a 2004/05 UEFA Cup first round match.

Coach and player links
• Play together
Graziano Pellè (Italy) & Shane Long (Ireland) – Southampton

• Have played together
Emanuele Giaccherini (Italy) & John O'Shea and Keiren Westwood (Ireland) – Sunderland, 2013–14

• The teams share a former coach; Trapattoni led Italy from 2000–04 and Ireland from 2008–13.