Germany will be coming face to face with Portugal at the Arena Lviv in Ukraine, in one of the most awaited clashes from the Group of Death in what promises to be a thrilling encounter.
The match will be live on nilesports.tv | 20:45 (EET) Egypt time | 2:45 (ET) USA/Canada Time
The Germans are one of the favorites to go all the way in the tournament. A vastly talented squad with impeccable chemistry have made the Germans as one of the superpowers in world football alongside the likes of Spain and Netherlands.
The Germans have had a brilliant qualifying campaign and brushed their oppositions aside as they made their way to the finals of the European championships. However, there has been a drop in form for the Germans off late. Having lost 5-3 to the Swiss in the warm up games, Germany did not have the best possible preparation coming into the tournament. However, that was a team studded with young talents. With the senior players coming in, the desire to win will be stronger and Portugal can surely expect to face a highly motivated German side.
Key players: MID Khedira, Schweinsteiger; Muller, Ozil, Podolski | ATT Gomez
Portugal:
Speaking about the Portuguese, all eyes will be on their charismatic captain Cristiano Ronaldo who has had a sparkling season with Real Madrid and helped them to the league title scoring an unbelievable 60 goals in the process.
Paulo Bento is likely to field his team in a brave 4-3-3 formation with Chelsea midfielder Raul Meireles partnering Miguel Veloso and Joao Moutinho in the midfield. Despite the injury concerns Manchester United winger Luis Nani is expected to shake off any fitness issues and feature in a three man forward line alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Helder Postiga. The Portugal defense looks pretty tight with Pepe and Bruno Alves at the back. Joao Pereira and Fabio Coentrao are expected to start as fullbacks. However, Pepes aggression and Pereiras lack of experience could be a problem against an intelligent and matured German attack. The immensely talented Rui Patricio is likely to start in goal for the Portuguese and will look to add more solidarity to the Portuguese defense against an inspired German attack.
Key Players: MID Raul Meireles, Miguel Veloso | ATT Luis Nani, Helder Postiga, Cristiano Ronaldo
Both Germany and Portugal will be aware of the importance of getting their respective campaigns off to a good start as they try to wriggle their way out of the group which includes Denmark and the Netherlands.
