How are Ireland preparing for the tournament?
The Boys in Green take on Bosnia-Herzegovina in Dublin on May 26 in a farewell friendly on home soil, before departing for Italy for a six-day pre-tournament camp at 19th-century spa town Montecantini. Giovanni Trapattoni has brought various teams on ritiro here during the past 40 years. The training will take place at nearby Borgo a Buggiano where the coach is very familiar with the facilities. Friendlies against Albania or a Tuscany selection in aid of the family of Piermario Morosini are currently being considered. There will be one more friendly against Hungary on June 4 in Budapest before departing for the Polish base of Gydnia on June 5. Ireland face Croatia in Poznan on June 10.

What are Ireland's realistic chances?
The realistic target for Ireland is to emerge from the group. It is a difficult task, no doubt, but one which Trapattoni modestly feels that his squad is up to. Victory over Croatia is seen as a must but Ireland have not beaten a higher-ranked team in a competitive game for 11 years. Nonetheless, there is enough quality in the group that some of the other teams may cut each others' throats. A win and two draws could see Ireland place second.

What is the toughest game in the group?
As the fourth-ranked team, all games are tough. The clash against Croatia is the most vital as three points would be an ideal start in one of the most difficult pools. Then Spain await in Gdansk. The Irish squad will take inspiration from the performance of Chelsea against Barcelona over two legs. It showed what can be achieved against a ball-keeping team with the right blend of fitness, resistance and discipline. The most favourable outcome for Trapattoni would be to have the Italy game a dead rubber. He has said that he does not favour playing the land of his birth.

Are there any injury or fitness concerns?
Trapattoni has named his 23-man squad and there were virtually no surprises. Sunderland winger James McClean replaced Wigan's James McCarthy, who pulled out for personal reasons. Fitness concerns over Richard Dunne were recently allayed when he played 90 minutes for Aston Villa against West Brom after being out for two months due to a fractured clavicle.

What is the biggest issue for the coach to resolve?
Ireland's strength lies in their organisation and defensive discipline. Teams find it hard to break through and make clear-cut chances against them. That said, the team should be able to make more of their possession of the ball and create chances of their own. Quite often, when Ireland need to seize the initiative, they are found wanting when tasked with taking the game to the opposition. With players of the calibre of Keane, McGeady and Damien Duff, they should be capable of carrying a more potent attacking threat. John O'Shea, Stephen Ward, Glenn Whelan and Keith Andrews are in the team to primarily stymie opposition and not to do damage of their own accord. That kind of caution is occasionally remedied with the introduction of the more forward-thinking Keith Fahey but Ireland do need to discover some sense of confidence in possession in the opposition third.