Germany vs Portugal Euro 2012 Full Preview

Posted on December 15th, 2011

by George in Euro Betting News

Germany vs Portugal, June 9th 2012

The second Group B match of Euro 2012 will be a tough contest for both nations as Germany takes on Portugal at Arena Lviv in Ukraine on June 9th. Germany qualified for the event by going a remarkable 10-0 in their qualifying games and easily topped Group A with 30 points, 13 ahead of second-place Turkey. They also outscored their opponents 34-7.

Portugal finished in second place in Group H with 16 points from five wins, a draw and two losses. They were level in points with Finland, but advanced to the playoffs due to a better goal difference. They faced Bosnia and Herzegovina in the playoffs and drew the first game 0-0 away. However, they thumped Bosnia 6-2 in the second leg to qualify for the European Championships.

Germany as strong as ever

Germany is definitely one of the world powerhouses when it comes to football. Before 1990, the nation was split into two teams with West Germany and East Germany each having a team. Germany has appeared in 17 World Cup tournaments and has won the trophy on three occasions, in 1954, 1974, and 1990. They have also been runners up in 1966, 1982, 1986, and 2002. They have been just as successful in Europe and have won the European Championships three times as well, in 1972, 1980, and 1996. They were runners up in 1976, 1992, and 2008.

Portugal has been an elite football nation for decades, but has never won a major tournament. They have played in five World Cups with their best finish being third place in England in 1966. They have also appeared in five European Championships and finished as runners up at home in 2004, losing to Greece in the final. They have one of the best players in the world right now in Cristiano Ronaldo, which are still high on the lists for the Golden Boot Top scorer betting favorites, but seem to have a hard time putting everything together when it comes to major tournaments.

The two nations have met each other 16 times in the past with Germany leading the series eight games to three with five draws. They’ve outscored Portugal 24-16 along the way. In their last two meetings, Germany won 3-2 in Euro 2008 and 3-1 at home in a World Cup qualifier in 2006. In their last five games overall up until Nov. 15th, Germany has three wins and two draws, which were against Ukraine and Poland, the two host nations of Euro 2012. Portugal has three wins, a draw and a loss in their past five.

Both of these nations have some excellent players in all positions. Germany has Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mesut Ozil, Toni Kroos, Mario Gotze, Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose, Thomas Muller, Cacau, and Mario Gomez. Portugal’s bet includes Ronaldo, Bruno Alves, Fabio Coentrao, Ricardo Costa, Raúl Meireles, Quaresma, Hugo Almeida, Nuno Gomes, Hélder Postiga, and Nani.

Germany vs Portugal Betting Predictions

For Portugal to be successful, they need to attack like they did in their 6-2 win over Bosnia in the playoffs. The best way to beat Germany is to keep them on the back foot by pressing them at all times, giving them no time and room with the ball. If they don’t press the action, look for Germany to beat them by up to two goals.

We found the best Euro 2012 betting odds at William Hill for the moment. At the moment of writing (December 2011) they offer a German win at 8/11.