Portugal v Germany Selections

Portugal v Germany

Euro 2008 – Quarter-Finals

Thursday 19 June, 7.45pm (UK time)

The Euro 2008 quarter-finals get under way with a real cracker as Portugal and Germany go to war. From what we’ve seen of the two sides so far in the tournament it's no surprise to see the bookies make Portugal favourite at 6/4.

They wrapped up Group A in double-quick time with victories over Turkey and the Czech Republic and little should be read into their defeat by Switzerland last time given the side they put out.

The big guns are obviously back for this and the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Deco clearly make them a completely different proposition but it will be a fascinating clash of styles between the two teams.

Portugal have a tremendous passing game but won’t get anything like as much time on the ball as in their opening two games.

And while Germany weren't overly impressive in what looked a relatively soft Group B, they did do enough with wins over Poland and Austria, and pose a strong physical threat.

Perhaps the most crucial aspect of their victory over Austria on Monday was the display of Michael Ballack. By his own high standards he was relatively subdued against both Poland and Croatia. But he was back to his best against the Austrians and it was his stunning free kick which proved the winner. As he is a so-called ‘big game player’ he could have another cracking performance here – so it could pay to back him again to score at any time.

Germany do have a double injury setback with Torsten Frings and Lukas Podolski struggling to be fit to face Portugal in Thursday's Euro 2008 quarter-final. Holding midfielder Frings is a major doubt with fractured ribs, while Podolski has a calf problem.

Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is likely to pick his strongest team after making eight changes in his side's final group game against Switzerland.

The two countries have met twice at a European Championship. In 2000, Portugal beat Germany 3-0 through a hat-trick by Sergio Conceicao.

The last time they met was in 2006 and that was the third-place play-off at the World Cup which saw hosts Germany run out 3-1 winners. All the goals came in the second half that day – a scenario that could well be repeated here after a cagey start.


Betting Recommendations:
1pt on Michael Ballack to score any time at 11/4 or better

1pt on Draw/Portugal in the Half-Time/Full-Time market at 9/2