Cesc Fabregas isn't just scoring goals for Spain, he's also the European champions' most savvy clairvoyant when it comes to predicting results at Euro 2012.
Fabregas, who has scored two goals in two matches like teammate Fernando Torres, leads David Silva in Spain's pre-tournament predictions for the first 16 games at Euro 2012.
Trying to guess results is a tradition in the Spain squad and is usually organized by Carles Puyol. The defender is absent from Euro 2012 due to injury and his duties have passed to Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets in Poland and Ukraine.
Spain striker Alvaro Negredo is in third place and predicted a 2-0 victory for Spain in its final Group C match against Croatia on Monday. The Sevilla forward was sticking by that pick on Saturday.
''It's something we do for a little bit of fun inside the team,'' Spain defender Raul Albiol said on Saturday at the team's training base in northern Poland. The Real Madrid defender believed Spain would win 1-0 on Monday.
Both of the players' results would leave Spain top of Group C and would allow Italy to advance to the quarterfinals if it beats already-eliminated Ireland on Monday.
Albiol and Negredo did not reveal who they picked to win the tournament, nor their pick for that other Group C match. In Italy, there is fear of a repeat of Euro 2004 when the Italians exited at the group stage following a 2-2 draw between Sweden and Denmark.
A 2-2 result at the Arena Gdansk on Monday would put Spain and Croatia into the knockout stages and leave Italy out, again.
''That's a result that could happen in a game of football. But, clearly for us, we will go out looking for victory like always,'' Albiol said. ''There's no pact. We don't want to have to depend on anyone else.
''We want to finish top of the group.''
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Paul Logothetis can be reached at: www.twitter.com/PaulLogoAP
