Italy v Croatia background
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Article summary
Having drawn 1-1 at UEFA EURO 2012, Italy and Croatia do battle again in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group H, with Croatia unbeaten in six against the Italians.
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Italy are without a win in their last six matches against Croatia, with an encounter in Poznan at UEFA EURO 2012 sure to add some spice to this latest meeting.
Match background
• Italy's seven matches against Croatia have ended W1 D3 L3 (W1 D0 L2 in Italy, W0 D2 L0 in Croatia), with two of those matches at final tournaments: the 1-1 draw at UEFA EURO 2012 and a 2-1 win for Croatia at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Ibaraki, Japan.
• Italy's sole win against Croatia was a 4-0 victory in Genoa on 5 April 1942.
• At UEFA EURO 2012, Mario Mandžukić (72) pounced to level for Slaven Bilić's Croatia after an Andrea Pirlo free-kick (39) had put Cesare Prandelli's side 1-0 up in the group stage fixture, the second between the two sides.
• The teams for that match on 14 June 2012 were:
Italy: Buffon, Maggio, Chiellini, Motta (Montolivo 62), Marchisio, Balotelli (Di Natale 69), Cassano (Giovinco 83), Giaccherini, De Rossi, Bonucci, Pirlo.
Croatia: Pletikosa, Strinić, Ćorluka, Rakitić, Vukojević, Jelavić (Eduardo 83), Modrić, Srna, Schildenfeld, Mandžukić (Kranjčar 90+4), Perišić (Pranjić 68).
• Croatia also met Giovanni Trapattoni's Italy in their second group stage match at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Ivica Olić (73) and Milan Rapaić (76) overturning Christian Vieri's 55th-minute opener to give Mirko Jozić's side a 2-1 win.
• Their only other competitive meetings came in EURO '96 qualifying. Miroslav Blažević's Croatia beat Arrigo Sacchi's Italy 2-1 in Palermo on 16 November 1994, Davor Šuker (32 and 57) striking twice before Dino Baggio (89) reduced the defecit for the home side. The sides drew 1-1 in the return fixture in Split on 8 October 1995, Šuker (48) cancelling out Demetrio Albertini's opener (29).
• Italy have had the better of their 12 meetings with Croatia in UEFA's youth and age-limit competitions: W7 D4 L1.
• Results between Serie A sides and Croatian sides in UEFA club competitions have been less one-sided than might be expected; the Italian clubs' record is W15 D9 L5. Those do not include ten encounters in the non-UEFA affiliated Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, in which the Italian clubs' record was W5 D4 L1.
