Luk out for us this time
CROATIA will look to erase the memories of their most painful defeat when they meet the team that inflicted it upon them in Paris today.
Six years after their Euro 2008 failure against Turkey, Ante Cacic’s side face them again in their Group D opener at the Parc des Princes.
The Croatians had taken a 1-0 lead in the final minute of extra time in their quarterfinal, only to concede with the last kick of the game before losing in a penalty shootout.
Playmaker Luka Modric, who missed the opening penalty for Croatia in the 2008 shootout, said: “I cried like a baby that night, it was the biggest setback of my career.”
Defender Vedran Corluka, 30, another survivor from the 2008 side, added: “The bitter feeling of that loss can only be compensated by winning the Euros.
“It’s the distant past and not really in the focus of our preparations but we can push it further back in our minds if we make the right start.”
Turkey have failed to qualify for a major tournament since Euro 2008, having been knocked out of the Euro 2012 play-offs by Croatia.
“I believe that if we work hard, we can advance,” said their coach Fatih Terim.
O’Neill’s side face Poland in Nice today 30 years to the day from their most recent fixture at a finals – when Brazil defeated them 3-0 in Mexico.
And ahead of their first appearance at a European Championships, O’Neill is adamant the 23 men he has chosen are in perfect shape following training camps in Manchester, Dublin, Belfast, Austria, Slovakia and Lyon. “The players are very well prepared,” said O’Neill. “I don’t think there’s a need for a final message, I think they understand the significance of the game.
“The preparation we’ve done has been flawless, basically.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt that a team has been as well prepared in the four years I’ve been in charge, in terms of what we’ve managed to do with the squad, the work we’ve done week after week and how the players have taken that on board.”
O’Neill also rejected any fears that striker Kyle Lafferty would miss out despite providing the nation with a scare when he hobbled out of training with a groin injury earlier in the week.
“We’ve no doubts whatsoever about Kyle’s fitness,” he added. “In terms of where we are as a squad, I don’t think we could be in a better shape in terms of the injury situation and the preparation for this team going into the game.” Lafferty has developed into his country’s attacking spearhead during O’Neill’s tenure and the boss has no doubt who that role belongs to in the Polish ranks.
Robert Lewandowski scored 13 goals to get his nation to France – a total only Northern Ireland’s own David Healy has ever matched in a European qualification campaign – and O’Neill ranks the Bayern Munich forward among the world’s best in his position.
“Ask any club in the world if they’d take Lewandowski and I think they would,” he said.
“He’s the talisman, the same as Ibrahimovic in the Swedish team, with a big personality.”
Poland keeper Lukasz Fabianski, meanwhile, hopes picking the brains of Swansea colleagues Ashley Williams and Neil Taylor will help Poland beat the Irish.
Fabianski faces the Green and White Army in the Group C opener in Nice with the minnows on a record unbeaten run of 12 games.
Among those results was a draw against Wales in Cardiff in March, in which both Williams and Taylor featured and the Pole, 31, wasted little time in getting the inside track on his Euro opponents as his side look to do better than the group-stage exit they managed as tournament co-hosts four years ago.
“I did ask Ash and Tayls about Northern Ireland and they told me to expect a proper British type of football,” said Fabianski.
“Then again we played against Scotland and the Republic of Ireland in the qualifiers so we know what to expect. But it is always good to find out some things where you can.
“You can’t underestimate the Irish because the way they went through qualifying was really impressive. They are clearly a good side.
“The excitement has been growing the last few weeks and we hope we can give our fans
cause for celebration.”