Jun
19
The groups stage is all over and the real European tournament starts tonight with the first clash of the titans between two favorites Portugal and Germany. Portugal finished first in Group A and Germany second (behind Croatia) in Group B. It will be Ronaldo versus Ballack for a ticket to the semi-finals and a chance for European Championships glory. Let us take a closer look at the two teams and try to make a prediction about its outcome.
Before the tournament started, both teams had been selected as favorites for winning the trophy. After having seen both play 3 games in the previous stage, it has become apparent that Portugal is the team to watch for while Germany has not lived up to everyone’s expectations. For the record, both teams won 2 and lost 1 game in the previous round. However, Portugal’s loss came against Switzerland after it had already secured a first place finish and they were fielding the reserve team. Germany had to win their last game in order to qualify after losing their second game to Croatia. And this last win was not an easy one against lowly Austria. In other words, if I had to make a prediction about the outcome of the game tonight based only on the performance and results from the last two games, I have to say that Portugal has the better chance of going to the semis. Let us also not forget that Germany’s Podolski has been injured and there are serious doubts about him being ready for this very important match.
Historically, Portugal and Germany have played 15 games. The Germans count 7 wins over Portugal’s 3; 5 game ended in a draw. So, if we had to make a prediction based on past history of games between the two teams, I would say that Germany has the highest chances of going to the semis tonight. The last time the two teams played each other for a major tournament was the 2006 World Cup with Germany defeating Portugal 3-1 (playing at home since Germany organized the World Cup that year.)
In conclusion, this is a hard game to predict. Taking into account the performance of the two teams this past week and considering that Portugal will be well rested and with all their stars ready to go, Portugal is the team I believe will continue in the tournament. It should be a high-scoring and fast-paced game so regardless of who wins, it will guaranteed to be entertaining.
should have been Portugal if you see the stats