Mixed memories as neighbours meet

With Group B containing the only two teams of the 16 finalists never to compete in a UEFA European Championship (Austria and Poland), three-time winners Germany will be strongly favoured to advance to the quarter-finals. Co-hosts Austria will play all three of their matches in Vienna, and will be striving to record maiden competitive victories against Croatia and Poland as uefa.com looks at some past meetings between the protagonists in the section.

Austria v Germany

• Austria's only competitive victory against their neighbours came at the 1978 FIFA World Cup, when legendary striker Hans Krankl scored twice in a momentous 3-2 win.

• Four years later they were involved in an infamous group match at the 1982 finals. West Germany won 1-0 – a result which enabled both teams to progress to the second phase at the expense of Algeria, who had already completed their programme. The unsportsmanlike behaviour led to the widespread practice of staging final group matches simultaneously

• The last five meetings have all been friendlies, with Germany winning the last three – 5-1 in Vienna, 6-2 in Leverkusen and, most recently on 18 August 2004, 3-1 in Vienna with a hat-trick from Kevin Kuranyi.

Austria v Croatia

• The sides have never played in a competitive match but met in Vienna on 23 May 2006 in a friendly. Croatia won 4-1 thanks to goals from Ivan Klasnić (two), Marko Babić and Boško Balaban. Andreas Ivanschitz scored Austria's consolation.

Austria v Poland

• Poland did the double over Austria in the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign, scoring three goals in each match (with six different scorers).

• Poland also scored three goals when the teams last met in a friendly, on 17 May 1994 in Katowice, but Austria scored four to win. Midfielder Peter Stöger claimed a hat-trick.

Croatia v Germany

• The first official encounter came at EURO '96™, where Germany prevailed in a physical quarter-final meeting. Croatia were reduced to ten men after Igor Štimac's red card, and Germany scored the winner soon afterwards through Matthias Sammer, the 1996 Ballon d'Or winner.

• Croatia got their revenge two years later at the 1998 World Cup, unexpectedly winning another quarter-final by a 3-0 margin - a red card for German defender Christian Wörns turning the contest in their favour. Robert Jarni, Goran Vlaović and Davor Šuker scored Croatia's goals.

Croatia v Poland

• Croatia have the upper hand in the four friendlies played so far, although Poland won the most recent meeting, a 2006 World Cup warm-up game in Wolfsburg, 1-0 with a goal from Euzebiusz Smolarek. The forward was Poland's top scorer in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying.

Germany v Poland

• Poland have never beaten Germany in 15 attempts, the most recent defeat coming at last year's World Cup finals, where Swiss-born Oliver Neuville's last-minute winner knocked the Poles out of the tournament.

• The two teams also met at the other World Cup staged on German soil, in 1974. There again the hosts won 1-0, in a decisive second phase game on a rain-soaked pitch in Frankfurt, thanks to a late winner from Gerd Müller.