Germany Vs. Portugal, 2012 European Championship: Ronaldo To The Rescue?

Germany went into the 2010 World Cup as dark horses and a young team with promise. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski were out of form for their clubs, but the trio of Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller, and Sami Khedira was mostly unknown and untested at the international level. They made a fantastic run to the semifinals, where they were outclassed by Spain. Two years later, they're deeper and more experienced.

They bulldozed their way through qualifying in a tough group, against Turkey and Belgium. For their efforts, they've been rewarded a place in the group of death. Their opponents on Saturday are the least accomplished team in the group over the last two major tournament qualifying cycles, Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo's side, one of the best in the world over the last 12 years, is the 'worst' team in their European Championship group. Yes, this is a bit absurd.

Ronaldo isn't the only great player on Portugal's team, and they more than have the goods to pull an upset on any team in the world, but they enter Saturday's game as big underdogs. Portugal might actually have the more in-form players on the pitch -- Jogi Löw might stay loyal to Klose, Müller and Mertesacker despite injuries and bad club form -- but they should struggle to find an answer for Germany's fantastic chemistry and cohesion.

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Related: Germany Team Preview | Portugal Team Preview | Mario Gomez Profile | Cristiano Ronaldo Profile

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Portugal has required a playoff to get to both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Life under Carlos Queiroz wasn't great, and life under new manager Paulo Bento is getting better slowly. Under his guidance, they faltered in their final qualifying group match against Denmark, which forced them to qualify via a playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovia. If it sounds like the nation of Luis Figo, Manuel Rui Costa and Ronaldo is underachieving, it's because they are, but it's not really Bento's fault.

See, Rui Costa was the last great Portuguese playmaker. They naturalized Deco to replace him, but by that point, Deco wasn't exactly young anymore and he's been out of the picture for a while. Danny surprisingly emerged to take his place, but a terrible injury took him out of the Euros. Someone has to help set up Ronaldo. He can't do everything himself.

Germany don't have Portugal's issues. There's no one superstar who carries the weight of a country on their shoulders, and there are plenty of guys who know how to pass a ball and play in an advanced central role. Marko Marin and Julian Draxler aren't in the team, while Mario Götze might never get off the bench. This is probably the biggest fundamental difference between the two sides.

Who needs defensive midfielders anyway?

Germany's double pivot will probably feature Bastian Schweinsteiger and Khedira, which is a pretty ridiculous pairing on paper. Both players are generally considered to be 'box-to-box' guys and both of them play with a midfielder who sits deeper than them at club level. Portugal play three central midfielders, and none of them are true defensive midfielders. Miguel Veloso will act as one, but he doesn't exactly have a knack for great positioning or muscling people off the ball. This could be a problem, because Germany have Özil. And speaking of him...

Expect a Real Madrid player to be the man of the match

If Portugal win, it'll probably be because Ronaldo willed them to victory. If Germany win, their best player is probably going to be Özil, Ronaldo's partner in crime at Real Madrid. Because Veloso isn't actually a defensive midfielder, there isn't actually going to be anyone doing a good job of preventing Özil from doing whatever he damn well pleases.

Name-drop Andre Schürrle to your unsuspecting friends

Andre Schürrle won't start for Germany, but you can expect to see him make an appearance off the bench. The young Bayer Leverkusen winger/forward has seven goals in 14 appearances for Germany and he looked fantastic in their pre-Euro friendlies. It wouldn't be stunning to see him come off the bench to either change the game in Germany's favor or help them to extend their lead. There's a legitimate argument for him starting over Müller.

Projected Germay Lineup (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Per Mertesacker, Jerome Boateng; Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Lukas Podolski, Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller; Miroslav Klose

Projected Portugal Lineup (4-3-3): Rui Patricio; Fabio Coentrao, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Joao Pereira; Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Raul Meireles; Cristiano Ronaldo, Helder Postiga, Nani

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: Ronaldo will make Boateng and Mertesacker look silly at least once, but the rest of his team isn't up to the task of containing the Germans. Özil looks like a magician in a 3-1 Germany win.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local

Venue: Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Germany Vs. Portugal, 2012 European Championship: Ronaldo To The Rescue?

Germany went into the 2010 World Cup as dark horses and a young team with promise. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski were out of form for their clubs, but the trio of Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller, and Sami Khedira was mostly unknown and untested at the international level. They made a fantastic run to the semifinals, where they were outclassed by Spain. Two years later, they're deeper and more experienced.

They bulldozed their way through qualifying in a tough group, against Turkey and Belgium. For their efforts, they've been rewarded a place in the group of death. Their opponents on Saturday are the least accomplished team in the group over the last two major tournament qualifying cycles, Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo's side, one of the best in the world over the last 12 years, is the 'worst' team in their European Championship group. Yes, this is a bit absurd.

Ronaldo isn't the only great player on Portugal's team, and they more than have the goods to pull an upset on any team in the world, but they enter Saturday's game as big underdogs. Portugal might actually have the more in-form players on the pitch -- Jogi Löw might stay loyal to Klose, Müller and Mertesacker despite injuries and bad club form -- but they should struggle to find an answer for Germany's fantastic chemistry and cohesion.

---

Related: Germany Team Preview | Portugal Team Preview | Mario Gomez Profile | Cristiano Ronaldo Profile

---

Portugal has required a playoff to get to both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Life under Carlos Queiroz wasn't great, and life under new manager Paulo Bento is getting better slowly. Under his guidance, they faltered in their final qualifying group match against Denmark, which forced them to qualify via a playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovia. If it sounds like the nation of Luis Figo, Manuel Rui Costa and Ronaldo is underachieving, it's because they are, but it's not really Bento's fault.

See, Rui Costa was the last great Portuguese playmaker. They naturalized Deco to replace him, but by that point, Deco wasn't exactly young anymore and he's been out of the picture for a while. Danny surprisingly emerged to take his place, but a terrible injury took him out of the Euros. Someone has to help set up Ronaldo. He can't do everything himself.

Germany don't have Portugal's issues. There's no one superstar who carries the weight of a country on their shoulders, and there are plenty of guys who know how to pass a ball and play in an advanced central role. Marko Marin and Julian Draxler aren't in the team, while Mario Götze might never get off the bench. This is probably the biggest fundamental difference between the two sides.

Who needs defensive midfielders anyway?

Germany's double pivot will probably feature Bastian Schweinsteiger and Khedira, which is a pretty ridiculous pairing on paper. Both players are generally considered to be 'box-to-box' guys and both of them play with a midfielder who sits deeper than them at club level. Portugal play three central midfielders, and none of them are true defensive midfielders. Miguel Veloso will act as one, but he doesn't exactly have a knack for great positioning or muscling people off the ball. This could be a problem, because Germany have Özil. And speaking of him...

Expect a Real Madrid player to be the man of the match

If Portugal win, it'll probably be because Ronaldo willed them to victory. If Germany win, their best player is probably going to be Özil, Ronaldo's partner in crime at Real Madrid. Because Veloso isn't actually a defensive midfielder, there isn't actually going to be anyone doing a good job of preventing Özil from doing whatever he damn well pleases.

Name-drop Andre Schürrle to your unsuspecting friends

Andre Schürrle won't start for Germany, but you can expect to see him make an appearance off the bench. The young Bayer Leverkusen winger/forward has seven goals in 14 appearances for Germany and he looked fantastic in their pre-Euro friendlies. It wouldn't be stunning to see him come off the bench to either change the game in Germany's favor or help them to extend their lead. There's a legitimate argument for him starting over Müller.

Projected Germay Lineup (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Per Mertesacker, Jerome Boateng; Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Lukas Podolski, Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller; Miroslav Klose

Projected Portugal Lineup (4-3-3): Rui Patricio; Fabio Coentrao, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Joao Pereira; Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Raul Meireles; Cristiano Ronaldo, Helder Postiga, Nani

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: Ronaldo will make Boateng and Mertesacker look silly at least once, but the rest of his team isn't up to the task of containing the Germans. Özil looks like a magician in a 3-1 Germany win.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local

Venue: Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Germany Vs. Portugal, 2012 European Championship: Ronaldo To The Rescue?

Germany went into the 2010 World Cup as dark horses and a young team with promise. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski were out of form for their clubs, but the trio of Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller, and Sami Khedira was mostly unknown and untested at the international level. They made a fantastic run to the semifinals, where they were outclassed by Spain. Two years later, they're deeper and more experienced.

They bulldozed their way through qualifying in a tough group, against Turkey and Belgium. For their efforts, they've been rewarded a place in the group of death. Their opponents on Saturday are the least accomplished team in the group over the last two major tournament qualifying cycles, Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo's side, one of the best in the world over the last 12 years, is the 'worst' team in their European Championship group. Yes, this is a bit absurd.

Ronaldo isn't the only great player on Portugal's team, and they more than have the goods to pull an upset on any team in the world, but they enter Saturday's game as big underdogs. Portugal might actually have the more in-form players on the pitch -- Jogi Löw might stay loyal to Klose, Müller and Mertesacker despite injuries and bad club form -- but they should struggle to find an answer for Germany's fantastic chemistry and cohesion.

---

Related: Germany Team Preview | Portugal Team Preview | Mario Gomez Profile | Cristiano Ronaldo Profile

---

Portugal has required a playoff to get to both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Life under Carlos Queiroz wasn't great, and life under new manager Paulo Bento is getting better slowly. Under his guidance, they faltered in their final qualifying group match against Denmark, which forced them to qualify via a playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovia. If it sounds like the nation of Luis Figo, Manuel Rui Costa and Ronaldo is underachieving, it's because they are, but it's not really Bento's fault.

See, Rui Costa was the last great Portuguese playmaker. They naturalized Deco to replace him, but by that point, Deco wasn't exactly young anymore and he's been out of the picture for a while. Danny surprisingly emerged to take his place, but a terrible injury took him out of the Euros. Someone has to help set up Ronaldo. He can't do everything himself.

Germany don't have Portugal's issues. There's no one superstar who carries the weight of a country on their shoulders, and there are plenty of guys who know how to pass a ball and play in an advanced central role. Marko Marin and Julian Draxler aren't in the team, while Mario Götze might never get off the bench. This is probably the biggest fundamental difference between the two sides.

Who needs defensive midfielders anyway?

Germany's double pivot will probably feature Bastian Schweinsteiger and Khedira, which is a pretty ridiculous pairing on paper. Both players are generally considered to be 'box-to-box' guys and both of them play with a midfielder who sits deeper than them at club level. Portugal play three central midfielders, and none of them are true defensive midfielders. Miguel Veloso will act as one, but he doesn't exactly have a knack for great positioning or muscling people off the ball. This could be a problem, because Germany have Özil. And speaking of him...

Expect a Real Madrid player to be the man of the match

If Portugal win, it'll probably be because Ronaldo willed them to victory. If Germany win, their best player is probably going to be Özil, Ronaldo's partner in crime at Real Madrid. Because Veloso isn't actually a defensive midfielder, there isn't actually going to be anyone doing a good job of preventing Özil from doing whatever he damn well pleases.

Name-drop Andre Schürrle to your unsuspecting friends

Andre Schürrle won't start for Germany, but you can expect to see him make an appearance off the bench. The young Bayer Leverkusen winger/forward has seven goals in 14 appearances for Germany and he looked fantastic in their pre-Euro friendlies. It wouldn't be stunning to see him come off the bench to either change the game in Germany's favor or help them to extend their lead. There's a legitimate argument for him starting over Müller.

Projected Germay Lineup (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Per Mertesacker, Jerome Boateng; Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Lukas Podolski, Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller; Miroslav Klose

Projected Portugal Lineup (4-3-3): Rui Patricio; Fabio Coentrao, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Joao Pereira; Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Raul Meireles; Cristiano Ronaldo, Helder Postiga, Nani

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: Ronaldo will make Boateng and Mertesacker look silly at least once, but the rest of his team isn't up to the task of containing the Germans. Özil looks like a magician in a 3-1 Germany win.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local

Venue: Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Germany Vs. Portugal, 2012 European Championship: Ronaldo To The Rescue?

Germany went into the 2010 World Cup as dark horses and a young team with promise. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski were out of form for their clubs, but the trio of Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller, and Sami Khedira was mostly unknown and untested at the international level. They made a fantastic run to the semifinals, where they were outclassed by Spain. Two years later, they're deeper and more experienced.

They bulldozed their way through qualifying in a tough group, against Turkey and Belgium. For their efforts, they've been rewarded a place in the group of death. Their opponents on Saturday are the least accomplished team in the group over the last two major tournament qualifying cycles, Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo's side, one of the best in the world over the last 12 years, is the 'worst' team in their European Championship group. Yes, this is a bit absurd.

Ronaldo isn't the only great player on Portugal's team, and they more than have the goods to pull an upset on any team in the world, but they enter Saturday's game as big underdogs. Portugal might actually have the more in-form players on the pitch -- Jogi Löw might stay loyal to Klose, Müller and Mertesacker despite injuries and bad club form -- but they should struggle to find an answer for Germany's fantastic chemistry and cohesion.

---

Related: Germany Team Preview | Portugal Team Preview | Mario Gomez Profile | Cristiano Ronaldo Profile

---

Portugal has required a playoff to get to both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Life under Carlos Queiroz wasn't great, and life under new manager Paulo Bento is getting better slowly. Under his guidance, they faltered in their final qualifying group match against Denmark, which forced them to qualify via a playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovia. If it sounds like the nation of Luis Figo, Manuel Rui Costa and Ronaldo is underachieving, it's because they are, but it's not really Bento's fault.

See, Rui Costa was the last great Portuguese playmaker. They naturalized Deco to replace him, but by that point, Deco wasn't exactly young anymore and he's been out of the picture for a while. Danny surprisingly emerged to take his place, but a terrible injury took him out of the Euros. Someone has to help set up Ronaldo. He can't do everything himself.

Germany don't have Portugal's issues. There's no one superstar who carries the weight of a country on their shoulders, and there are plenty of guys who know how to pass a ball and play in an advanced central role. Marko Marin and Julian Draxler aren't in the team, while Mario Götze might never get off the bench. This is probably the biggest fundamental difference between the two sides.

Who needs defensive midfielders anyway?

Germany's double pivot will probably feature Bastian Schweinsteiger and Khedira, which is a pretty ridiculous pairing on paper. Both players are generally considered to be 'box-to-box' guys and both of them play with a midfielder who sits deeper than them at club level. Portugal play three central midfielders, and none of them are true defensive midfielders. Miguel Veloso will act as one, but he doesn't exactly have a knack for great positioning or muscling people off the ball. This could be a problem, because Germany have Özil. And speaking of him...

Expect a Real Madrid player to be the man of the match

If Portugal win, it'll probably be because Ronaldo willed them to victory. If Germany win, their best player is probably going to be Özil, Ronaldo's partner in crime at Real Madrid. Because Veloso isn't actually a defensive midfielder, there isn't actually going to be anyone doing a good job of preventing Özil from doing whatever he damn well pleases.

Name-drop Andre Schürrle to your unsuspecting friends

Andre Schürrle won't start for Germany, but you can expect to see him make an appearance off the bench. The young Bayer Leverkusen winger/forward has seven goals in 14 appearances for Germany and he looked fantastic in their pre-Euro friendlies. It wouldn't be stunning to see him come off the bench to either change the game in Germany's favor or help them to extend their lead. There's a legitimate argument for him starting over Müller.

Projected Germay Lineup (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Per Mertesacker, Jerome Boateng; Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Lukas Podolski, Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller; Miroslav Klose

Projected Portugal Lineup (4-3-3): Rui Patricio; Fabio Coentrao, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Joao Pereira; Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Raul Meireles; Cristiano Ronaldo, Helder Postiga, Nani

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: Ronaldo will make Boateng and Mertesacker look silly at least once, but the rest of his team isn't up to the task of containing the Germans. Özil looks like a magician in a 3-1 Germany win.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local

Venue: Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Germany 1-0 Portugal

Euro 2012: Germany v Portugal

• Venue: Arena Lviv, Lviv
• Date: Saturday, 9 June
• Kick-off: 19:45 BST

Coverage: BBC One, BBC Radio 5 live, highlights on BBC One and BBC Sport website

Germany coach Joachim Loew has a full squad to choose from for Saturday's match after captain Philipp Lahm and Sami Khedira returned to training.

Per Mertesacker took a knock in training on Thursday but is still expected to start, as is Bastian Schweinsteiger, who missed their warm-up friendlies after suffering a calf niggle in the Champions League final.

Portugal also have a fully-fit squad.

Manchester United winger Nani has recovered from a foot injury.

They say the bookies never get it wrong. But should Germany (10/3) - perfect in qualifying with 10 wins out of 10 and boasting a posse of world-class stars who have only matured since lighting up the 2010 World Cup, where they finished third - really only be second-favourites to win the tournament behind reigning champions Spain (11/4)? As the odds suggest, it's a very close call.

Joachim Loew's squad have been in relatively relaxed mood as Germany bid to build on their record three European Championship wins. They paid a visit to the recent Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, decked out in shades, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had dinner with them in Gdansk on Tuesday. But it's not all been plain sailing: Loew was unhappy after Jerome Boateng was pictured with a model in the early hours last weekend, threatening to start with Lars Bender at right back. That looks like an empty promise, and the team which starts against Portugal has class all over the park - not to mention a substitute's bench teeming with talent: Mario Gotze, Marco Reus, Andre Schurrle.

Portugal, led by £80m Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, are consistently inconsistent and appear to lack the required depth of talent required outside of their wing positions - they will pounce on any glimmer of hope they can find. They might seek solace in two friendly defeats for Germany this year (against France and Switzerland) - yet Paulo Bento's men have suffered two goalless draws (against Poland and Macedonia) in 2012 before losing 3-1 to Turkey, a team Germany beat twice in qualifying, in their final Euro warm-up. Manchester United winger Nani will be determined to show he can do it on the biggest stage after missing the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but goals are still often a problem. Bruno Alves's claim that "we have a world-class defence" also looks spurious.

They slipped from fifth to 10th in Fifa's latest rankings, a fair reflection of their unpredictability. But it's guaranteed Ronaldo, with 62 goals this season, will fight fire with flair in Ukraine on Saturday.

Head-to-head

• The teams are meeting for the 17th time. Germany has won eight of 16, Portugal just three.
• Germany have the slight edge in eight competitive encounters, winning three to Portugal's two.
• Their last encounter came in the Euro 2008 quarter-finals, when Germany won 3-2.

Germany

• Germany have won 11 competitive matches in a row.
• But they have only won twice in their five friendly matches since Euro 2012 qualifying finished (losing against both France and Switzerland this year).
• Miroslav Klose turns 34 on the day of the Portugal game. He has scored 63 goals in 116 appearances for Germany, and is just five shy of Gerd Muller's national record.
• They are unbeaten in all 10 previous opening matches at Euro final tournaments (5 wins, 5 draws).
• Germany won all 10 of their Euro 2012 qualifying matches, outscoring their opponents 34-7.

Portugal

• Portugal have only won one of their past six matches.
• And they have suffered goalless draws in three of their past five matches.
• At 27, Cristiano Ronaldo will be playing in his fifth major championship (Euros and World Cup).
• Miguel Lopes and Custódio are yet to make a competitive appearance for Portugal - but won their first caps in the friendly against Turkey on 2 June, a 3-0 defeat.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Germany Vs. Portugal, 2012 European Championship: Ronaldo To The Rescue?

Germany went into the 2010 World Cup as dark horses and a young team with promise. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski were out of form for their clubs, but the trio of Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller, and Sami Khedira was mostly unknown and untested at the international level. They made a fantastic run to the semifinals, where they were outclassed by Spain. Two years later, they're deeper and more experienced.

They bulldozed their way through qualifying in a tough group, against Turkey and Belgium. For their efforts, they've been rewarded a place in the group of death. Their opponents on Saturday are the least accomplished team in the group over the last two major tournament qualifying cycles, Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo's side, one of the best in the world over the last 12 years, is the 'worst' team in their European Championship group. Yes, this is a bit absurd.

Ronaldo isn't the only great player on Portugal's team, and they more than have the goods to pull an upset on any team in the world, but they enter Saturday's game as big underdogs. Portugal might actually have the more in-form players on the pitch -- Jogi Löw might stay loyal to Klose, Müller and Mertesacker despite injuries and bad club form -- but they should struggle to find an answer for Germany's fantastic chemistry and cohesion.

---

Related: Germany Team Preview | Portugal Team Preview | Mario Gomez Profile | Cristiano Ronaldo Profile

---

Portugal has required a playoff to get to both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Life under Carlos Queiroz wasn't great, and life under new manager Paulo Bento is getting better slowly. Under his guidance, they faltered in their final qualifying group match against Denmark, which forced them to qualify via a playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovia. If it sounds like the nation of Luis Figo, Manuel Rui Costa and Ronaldo is underachieving, it's because they are, but it's not really Bento's fault.

See, Rui Costa was the last great Portuguese playmaker. They naturalized Deco to replace him, but by that point, Deco wasn't exactly young anymore and he's been out of the picture for a while. Danny surprisingly emerged to take his place, but a terrible injury took him out of the Euros. Someone has to help set up Ronaldo. He can't do everything himself.

Germany don't have Portugal's issues. There's no one superstar who carries the weight of a country on their shoulders, and there are plenty of guys who know how to pass a ball and play in an advanced central role. Marko Marin and Julian Draxler aren't in the team, while Mario Götze might never get off the bench. This is probably the biggest fundamental difference between the two sides.

Who needs defensive midfielders anyway?

Germany's double pivot will probably feature Bastian Schweinsteiger and Khedira, which is a pretty ridiculous pairing on paper. Both players are generally considered to be 'box-to-box' guys and both of them play with a midfielder who sits deeper than them at club level. Portugal play three central midfielders, and none of them are true defensive midfielders. Miguel Veloso will act as one, but he doesn't exactly have a knack for great positioning or muscling people off the ball. This could be a problem, because Germany have Özil. And speaking of him...

Expect a Real Madrid player to be the man of the match

If Portugal win, it'll probably be because Ronaldo willed them to victory. If Germany win, their best player is probably going to be Özil, Ronaldo's partner in crime at Real Madrid. Because Veloso isn't actually a defensive midfielder, there isn't actually going to be anyone doing a good job of preventing Özil from doing whatever he damn well pleases.

Name-drop Andre Schürrle to your unsuspecting friends

Andre Schürrle won't start for Germany, but you can expect to see him make an appearance off the bench. The young Bayer Leverkusen winger/forward has seven goals in 14 appearances for Germany and he looked fantastic in their pre-Euro friendlies. It wouldn't be stunning to see him come off the bench to either change the game in Germany's favor or help them to extend their lead. There's a legitimate argument for him starting over Müller.

Projected Germay Lineup (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Per Mertesacker, Jerome Boateng; Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Lukas Podolski, Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller; Miroslav Klose

Projected Portugal Lineup (4-3-3): Rui Patricio; Fabio Coentrao, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Joao Pereira; Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Raul Meireles; Cristiano Ronaldo, Helder Postiga, Nani

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: Ronaldo will make Boateng and Mertesacker look silly at least once, but the rest of his team isn't up to the task of containing the Germans. Özil looks like a magician in a 3-1 Germany win.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local

Venue: Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here

Germany 1-0 Portugal

Euro 2012: Germany v Portugal

• Venue: Arena Lviv, Lviv
• Date: Saturday, 9 June
• Kick-off: 19:45 BST

Coverage: BBC One, BBC Radio 5 live, highlights on BBC One and BBC Sport website

Germany coach Joachim Loew has a full squad to choose from for Saturday's match after captain Philipp Lahm and Sami Khedira returned to training.

Per Mertesacker took a knock in training on Thursday but is still expected to start, as is Bastian Schweinsteiger, who missed their warm-up friendlies after suffering a calf niggle in the Champions League final.

Portugal also have a fully-fit squad.

Manchester United winger Nani has recovered from a foot injury.

They say the bookies never get it wrong. But should Germany (10/3) - perfect in qualifying with 10 wins out of 10 and boasting a posse of world-class stars who have only matured since lighting up the 2010 World Cup, where they finished third - really only be second-favourites to win the tournament behind reigning champions Spain (11/4)? As the odds suggest, it's a very close call.

Joachim Loew's squad have been in relatively relaxed mood as Germany bid to build on their record three European Championship wins. They paid a visit to the recent Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, decked out in shades, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had dinner with them in Gdansk on Tuesday. But it's not all been plain sailing: Loew was unhappy after Jerome Boateng was pictured with a model in the early hours last weekend, threatening to start with Lars Bender at right back. That looks like an empty promise, and the team which starts against Portugal has class all over the park - not to mention a substitute's bench teeming with talent: Mario Gotze, Marco Reus, Andre Schurrle.

Portugal, led by £80m Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, are consistently inconsistent and appear to lack the required depth of talent required outside of their wing positions - they will pounce on any glimmer of hope they can find. They might seek solace in two friendly defeats for Germany this year (against France and Switzerland) - yet Paulo Bento's men have suffered two goalless draws (against Poland and Macedonia) in 2012 before losing 3-1 to Turkey, a team Germany beat twice in qualifying, in their final Euro warm-up. Manchester United winger Nani will be determined to show he can do it on the biggest stage after missing the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but goals are still often a problem. Bruno Alves's claim that "we have a world-class defence" also looks spurious.

They slipped from fifth to 10th in Fifa's latest rankings, a fair reflection of their unpredictability. But it's guaranteed Ronaldo, with 62 goals this season, will fight fire with flair in Ukraine on Saturday.

Head-to-head

• The teams are meeting for the 17th time. Germany has won eight of 16, Portugal just three.
• Germany have the slight edge in eight competitive encounters, winning three to Portugal's two.
• Their last encounter came in the Euro 2008 quarter-finals, when Germany won 3-2.

Germany

• Germany have won 11 competitive matches in a row.
• But they have only won twice in their five friendly matches since Euro 2012 qualifying finished (losing against both France and Switzerland this year).
• Miroslav Klose turns 34 on the day of the Portugal game. He has scored 63 goals in 116 appearances for Germany, and is just five shy of Gerd Muller's national record.
• They are unbeaten in all 10 previous opening matches at Euro final tournaments (5 wins, 5 draws).
• Germany won all 10 of their Euro 2012 qualifying matches, outscoring their opponents 34-7.

Portugal

• Portugal have only won one of their past six matches.
• And they have suffered goalless draws in three of their past five matches.
• At 27, Cristiano Ronaldo will be playing in his fifth major championship (Euros and World Cup).
• Miguel Lopes and Custódio are yet to make a competitive appearance for Portugal - but won their first caps in the friendly against Turkey on 2 June, a 3-0 defeat.

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Germany Vs. Portugal, 2012 European Championship: Ronaldo To The Rescue?

Portugal have Cristiano Ronaldo. Otherwise, they're not as good as Germany. Expect to see a great performance from Ronaldo's club teammate Mesut Özil.

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Germany went into the 2010 World Cup as dark horses and a young team with promise. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski were out of form for their clubs, but the trio of Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller, and Sami Khedira was mostly unknown and untested at the international level. They made a fantastic run to the semifinals, where they were outclassed by Spain. Two years later, they're deeper and more experienced.

They bulldozed their way through qualifying in a tough group, against Turkey and Belgium. For their efforts, they've been rewarded a place in the group of death. Their opponents on Saturday are the least accomplished team in the group over the last two major tournament qualifying cycles, Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo's side, one of the best in the world over the last 12 years, is the 'worst' team in their European Championship group. Yes, this is a bit absurd.

Ronaldo isn't the only great player on Portugal's team, and they more than have the goods to pull an upset on any team in the world, but they enter Saturday's game as big underdogs. Portugal might actually have the more in-form players on the pitch -- Jogi Löw might stay loyal to Klose, Müller and Mertesacker despite injuries and bad club form -- but they should struggle to find an answer for Germany's fantastic chemistry and cohesion.

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Related: Germany Team Preview | Portugal Team Preview | Mario Gomez Profile | Cristiano Ronaldo Profile

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Portugal has required a playoff to get to both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Life under Carlos Queiroz wasn't great, and life under new manager Paulo Bento is getting better slowly. Under his guidance, they faltered in their final qualifying group match against Denmark, which forced them to qualify via a playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovia. If it sounds like the nation of Luis Figo, Manuel Rui Costa and Ronaldo is underachieving, it's because they are, but it's not really Bento's fault.

See, Rui Costa was the last great Portuguese playmaker. They naturalized Deco to replace him, but by that point, Deco wasn't exactly young anymore and he's been out of the picture for a while. Danny surprisingly emerged to take his place, but a terrible injury took him out of the Euros. Someone has to help set up Ronaldo. He can't do everything himself.

Germany don't have Portugal's issues. There's no one superstar who carries the weight of a country on their shoulders, and there are plenty of guys who know how to pass a ball and play in an advanced central role. Marko Marin and Julian Draxler aren't in the team, while Mario Götze might never get off the bench. This is probably the biggest fundamental difference between the two sides.

Who needs defensive midfielders anyway?

Germany's double pivot will probably feature Bastian Schweinsteiger and Khedira, which is a pretty ridiculous pairing on paper. Both players are generally considered to be 'box-to-box' guys and both of them play with a midfielder who sits deeper than them at club level. Portugal play three central midfielders, and none of them are true defensive midfielders. Miguel Veloso will act as one, but he doesn't exactly have a knack for great positioning or muscling people off the ball. This could be a problem, because Germany have Özil. And speaking of him...

Expect a Real Madrid player to be the man of the match

If Portugal win, it'll probably be because Ronaldo willed them to victory. If Germany win, their best player is probably going to be Özil, Ronaldo's partner in crime at Real Madrid. Because Veloso isn't actually a defensive midfielder, there isn't actually going to be anyone doing a good job of preventing Özil from doing whatever he damn well pleases.

Name-drop Andre Schürrle to your unsuspecting friends

Andre Schürrle won't start for Germany, but you can expect to see him make an appearance off the bench. The young Bayer Leverkusen winger/forward has seven goals in 14 appearances for Germany and he looked fantastic in their pre-Euro friendlies. It wouldn't be stunning to see him come off the bench to either change the game in Germany's favor or help them to extend their lead. There's a legitimate argument for him starting over Müller.

Projected Germay Lineup (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Per Mertesacker, Jerome Boateng; Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Lukas Podolski, Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller; Miroslav Klose

Projected Portugal Lineup (4-3-3): Rui Patricio; Fabio Coentrao, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Joao Pereira; Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Raul Meireles; Cristiano Ronaldo, Helder Postiga, Nani

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: Ronaldo will make Boateng and Mertesacker look silly at least once, but the rest of his team isn't up to the task of containing the Germans. Özil looks like a magician in a 3-1 Germany win.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local

Venue: Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

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