Germany v Portugal Euro 2012 Preview & Tips

It’s Germany and Portugal locking horns on June 9. The game is at 19:45 GMT, and will take place in Arena Lviv.

Teams News

Germany

Who would have thought we’d see such a big match on the second day of Euro 2012? Germany however, one of the favourites to lift the trophy at the end of this tourney, were a bit tentative in their last two friendlies to prepare for this game. A blowout loss against Switzerland 5-3 was followed by a 2-0 win against Israel that – although just a bit – took away the dread associated whenever you hear “Germany” insofar as footballing context is concerned.

Despite the recent friendly results, Germany will be heading into this tournament with intimidating form. Joachim Low’s side does not have injury concerns at the moment, making his team perhaps the strongest side in the tournament – on paper that is. The way they play this game against Portugal will most likely be telling of how they will fare in the next games to come especially in the knockout stages. While the Portuguese have not been convincing themselves, they are still a mighty foe and winning against them on the second day of the tournament will almost certainly spell success for the Germans.

Portugal

A tough qualifying round that needed them to win a playoff game stripped a big chunk of pizzazz from the Portugal side of recent years. They have been touted to be ‘underperforming’ to say the least, and this was proven in the last weeks when Portugal couldn’t even win a game in preparation for their Euro 2012 campaign. A scoreless draw against Macedonia and a loss to Turkey renders A Seleccao toothless especially when up against the likes of Germany.

Adding up to the downward form is Luis Nani’s slight injury concern ahead of their opening salvo against Germany. Nani is expected to play nonetheless; without him Portugal’s patented wing-play could be put to jeopardy as defences may simply focus on Ronaldo. Quaresma is of course a viable option but there’s no doubt that Nani, the Manchester United winger, is ahead in the pecking order.

Germany v Portugal Betting Preview

In the knockout stages, this fixture could be very difficult to decide on. But given that it is a group-stage game where recent form is likely to be carried over, Germany is on the advantage. Portugal’s had to swim through troubled waters just to get here, and quite frankly, the angry sea does not end for them the moment the tournament begins. You really cant see them dismantling a prolific German side come Saturday.

Betting Tip

Verdict: Germany 2, Portugal 0. The Germans will take the win comfortably.

Tip:

Pundits know better than play the odds against Germany in this one; the Germans are at 1.90 to win the game against Portugal. A 2-0 final result could be rewarding at 9.00, however the final tally of goals is still up for debate. What if Germany revs up to fifth gear in their first Euro 2012 match? What if Portugal wakes up on the right side of the bed to make this game more challenging for the Germans? Such questions give uncertainty that you really wouldn’t want to take on the correct score-line and total goals punt now.

As for goalscorers, well there are a mutltitude of them. Let’s start with Mario Gomez who is at 2.10 to score anytime. He is joined by Cristiano Ronaldo to score anytime at 2.40, and a number of Germans next up in the list. With so many lethal goalscorers in this game, you can perhaps punt on as many of them without going home with nothing.

All odds are from Bet365.com (£200 FREE BET!).