LIVE: Portugal vs Germany | EURO 2020
12:00 ET Canada-USA | 18:00 Cairo Local Time
Venue: Fussball Arena Munich
Referee: Anthony Taylor (England)
Looking to make it two in two on Saturday evening, defending European champions Portugal will face off against Germany in Munich for what is a heavyweight affair.
Portugal
Starting with Portugal, while they might have left it late out in Budapest earlier in the week, the defending champions did manage to open their Group F campaign with a deserved victory on foreign soil. Eventually wrapping up a 3-0 win and now knowing they’re within striking distance of booking their spot in the knockout stage, Fernando Santos’ side should find the mood in their camp at a high.
Signing off their pre-tournament preparations with a thumping 4-0 victory against Israel on home soil, The Navigators have lost just one of their last 16 matchups across all formats, a run that stems back to October 2019. Along with managing to record three clean sheets on the spin for the first time in 2021, Portugal also have one attacking icon who finds himself enjoying another free-scoring run.
Spearheading Seleção and their charge to become back-to-back European champions, Cristiano Ronaldo opened his Group F campaign with a brace against Hungary last time out. In fact, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has now racked up 42 goals for club and country this season on route to breaking more records.
After returning a positive COVID-19 test last week, Joao Cancelo has been ruled out for the remainder of this summer’s European Championships.
Having to settle for a spot on the bench earlier in the week, Atletico Madrid starlet Joao Felix is pushing for a recall in Munich.
Germany
As for Germany, while Portugal might have opened their Group F campaign with a thumping win earlier in the week, Germany failed to impress in Munich. Despite signing off their pre-tournament preparations with a much-welcomed 7-1 romp against Latvia on home soil, the former world and European champions have only shown a host of issues since their World Cup heartbreak out in Russia three years ago.
With it confirmed earlier in the year that long-standing boss Joachim Löw will be standing down after this summer’s delayed European Championships, The Whites know they face a must-win showdown this weekend. Shocking many across the continent as they were hit with that infamous 2-1 defeat against North Macedonia in March’s World Cup qualifiers, it should also be noted that Saturday’s hosts have recorded just five wins from any of their last 13 matchups across all formats.
However, despite their continued inconsistencies, The Whites should be boosted by their rampant record against Portugal. Including a 4-0 win when the two nations last faced off back in 2016, Germany have won each of their last four meetings against the hosts.
Despite limping off in Germany’s 1-0 defeat against France earlier in the week, defender Matthias Ginter has been given the green light to feature.
After coming off the bench against Les Bleus in the second half, Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane could be in line for a recall.
