Thursday 19th June Euro 2008 Match Preview
Euro 2008 1st Quarter Final
Portugal vs Germany
Thursday 19th June, 2008
Euro 2008: Will Ronaldo and Portugal be able to overcome Michael Ballack and giants Germany in the first quarter-final encounter?
We've reached the business end of the Euro 2008 football championships. There are no second chances anymore - if you lose, you're out. It is with this mentality that Portugal and Germany will have to go into tonight's match, fully realising that neither can afford any slip-ups if they want to progress to the semi-final.
Following an exciting group stage period with some very unexpected results, we are left to witness a mammoth of a quarter final encounter with Germany having to fight it out with Portugal; the match which many expected to be the first semi-final showdown.
Overview:
After a disappointing loss to Croatia in their second group match, Germany managed to recover and post a somewhat unconvincing win over valiant hosts Austria to qualify second in their group. Coming into the tournament as favourites, Germany no longer carry that title after giving an extremely mediocre performance considering the talent that they possess.
However, anyone who has witnessed Germany in a major tournament will know full well that they can spring to life and put in a world-class football display at any moment, and Portugal will have to be very weary of the potential that their German opponents possess of dominating a match in the blink of an eye.
Portuguese Squad:
Expect Portugal to field a very similar, if not identical team to the one that showed impressive form in their first two matches. Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari summed it up best when he told reporters, ''in principle it will be the same team."
The starting team should be as follows:
Goalkeeper: Ricardo
Defenders: Paulo Ferreira, Jose Bosingwa, Ricardo Carvalho, Pepe
Midfielders: Armando Petit, Joao Moutinho and Deco
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Nuno Gomes, Simao
One thing that Portugal will have some concern about is the height and aerial prowess of their German opponents. Scolari also shared this concern with journalists recently.
"No17 Germany– 1m98, No13– 1m88, Klose– 1m82, No21– 195. I have to worry about that– and that my players are 115cm, 120cm."
The Portuguese players are, on average, 7cm smaller than their German counterparts which will no doubt play a role in the match tonight. Germany will look to take full advantage of this fact, with their incredible ability to put balls in the back of the net through crosses and aerial attacks. The football betting odds reflect this, with Germany as key favourites in tonight's match. In spite of this, Scolari is still confident that his team can prevail tonight, owing particularly to the effect that Ronaldo has on his teammates.
"He has a strong will to win that I've not seen in anyone else and the others soak that in," said Scolari.
With no injury concerns or suspensions to speak of, Portugal should field a full-strength team tonight.
German Squad:
Germany, on the other hand, will have to contest with both injuries and suspensions – most notably to their coach Joachim Low, who received a one match ban during his team's victory over Austria.
More concerning for the Germans, however, is the news that midfielder Torsten Frings and star striker Lukas Podolski might both miss out on the match with injuries. Frings suffered a broken rib against Austria and looks in doubt, but Germany will do all they can to ensure he can play if possible.
"Since Torsten is such an important player for our team, our medical staff will exhaust all possibilities to get him fit," said Low.
Striker Podolski suffered calf problem against Austria and may also have to sit out the match.
''It's going to be tight for Thursday," Low said in regards to Podolski's fitness.
Missing out on both of these players would have a very detrimental effect on the German team as both play a vital role in the squad. Podolski has scored three of the four German goals so far and Torsten plays a key role in the middle of the field.
Aside from this, Bastian Schweinsteiger is expected to earn a starting role against the Portuguese after serving his one match suspension.
A German starting team may be as follows:
Goalkeeper: Jens Lehmann
Defenders: Christoph Metzelder, Per Mertesacker, Philipp Lahm, Arne Freidrich/(Marcell Jansen)
Midfielders: Michael Ballack, Torsten Frings (if he recovers), Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mario Gomez
Forwards: Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski (if he recovers)
Players to Watch:
Portugal – Cristiano Ronaldo.
With a team featuring so many talented individuals, Ronaldo may just be the pick of the bunch. After his stunning season performance with Manchester United, Ronaldo will really look to shine in this match and help transport his team to the Euro 2008 semi-finals for the second time in a row. Expect to see some real brilliance from the two-time English Football Player of the Year.
Germany – Michael Ballack
German captain Michael Ballack signalled his Euro 2008 tournament intentions after blasting home the winning goal in his free kick against Austria. Both a brilliant playmaker and clearly a capable goalscorer, Ballack will be looked upon as the guiding light of the German team tonight. He has shown on many big occasions before that he is clearly capable of stepping into this role, and the talented midfielder may just be out for revenge against Ronaldo for Man Utd's triumphs over his Chelsea squad this year.
Prediction:
Given both teams' group stage performances, Portugal go into this match as favourites and on current form should prevail. But calling this match as a clear Portuguese victory is anything but certain. Portugal's skillful performance is assured; however it will be how Germany plays that will decide the outcome of this match.
If the Germans rise to their full potential tonight, then the Portuguese will have serious difficulty in stopping them. Not only this, but Germany would again become a force to be reckoned with in Euro 2008. Expect to see a match full of attacking football, with both brilliant individual and team performances.
Related: The Top 10 Places to Bet on Euro 2008
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