Euro 2012: Spain to Face Italy, Croatia, Ireland

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Spain avoided its biggest challengers in the first round of the 2012 European Championship, leaving Germany and the Netherlands in the toughest group of the competition.

Spain, which beat Germany to win the Euro 2008 title and then defeated the Dutch in last year's World Cup final, was drawn Friday in Group C with Italy, Ireland and Croatia for next year's tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

"It's a complicated group," Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said. "We've got an important team like Italy and two teams that got through the playoff easily. We have to worry about ourselves and preparing well so we arrive in best shape."

Euro 2012 will open on June 8 in Warsaw when Poland plays 2004 champion Greece. The final is set for July 1 in Kiev.

Spain is seeking to become the first country to win two straight European titles since the competition began in 1960.

The Spanish, who also won in 1964, open with a match against Italy, pitting the past two World Cup winners against each other in the Polish port city of Gdansk on June 10. The group also plays in Poznan.

Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni will oppose his home country, which he coached at Euro 2004, in the final group match in Poznan.

"It's impossible to say which group is better," Trapattoni said. "You have to think that in football all is possible. I am confident."

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said he had wanted to avoid Trapattoni "for many reasons."

"But what matters is that we have to arrive there at our top and ready for the competition," said Prandelli, who was coached by the veteran when both were at Juventus.