Germany vs Portugal betting preview

Germany have been brilliant hosts to the 2006 World Cup Finals and their national team has performed with immense credit during the tournament, and it was only after 119 minutes that Jurgen Klinsmann's charges succumbed to Italy in a semi-final which will go down as one of the best football matches of all time. Now the Nationalmannschaft turn their attention to a third-place decider against Portugal, and I reckon that the Germans will give the Portuguese the footballing hiding that they deserve in this encounter in Stuttgart on Saturday evening. Portugal haven't impressed greatly during this competition, and it was somewhat surprising - and disconcerting - that they eliminated England in the quarter-finals. However, it's the scheming nature of Big Phil's men which has been their most unimpressive trait during the Finals. In the post-match analysis' carried out following both Portugal's quarter-final and semi-final bouts, there have been any number of stomach-turning instances of gamesmanship of the most unsavoury kind highlighted. Naturally, Ronaldo's wink to the bench following the debacle that saw Rooney sent off during the quarter-final was bad enough but some of the theatrical diving performed by Portugal's players during their last-four match with France really took the biscuit - indeed, such diving should be saved for the swimming baths. What sort of a team would want to progress in a tournament on the back of such deceit? Such behaviour is indicative of the lack of finesse within their side. After all, any team that feels the need to resort to such tactics must realise themselves that they are well and truly out of their depth. But when Portugal meet Germany they will feel the wrath of a side determined to offer some consolation to their fans, whose support has been exceptional during this tournament. The Germans and Italy demonstrated how a football match at the highest level should be played during their semi-final in Dortmund. Germany were sporting during the match and gracious in defeat. They deserve third place at the very least. Admittedly there will be tired legs among the Germany players. 120+ minutes of high-octane football against Italy will have taken its toll. But they will have had an extra day to recover having played their semi-final on Tuesday whereas Portugal's was on Wednesday. In any case, the desire and hunger of Germany will be enough to see them through. Their talismanic midfielder Michael Ballack has been suffering from cramp, which is largely why he hasn't quite lit up this tournament the way many expected. But his class and determination is always evident. His presence alone on the field is enough to lift the players around him - he will surely line up for this fixture come hell or high water. Portugal offer little in the way of cutting edge football in the final third of their rivals' half. Their build up play is good, and they boast some technically gifted players. But Pauleta is not good enough a player to be relied on for goals in the way that he is. His record is exemplary, but he's still nowhere near as good as a Thierry Henry, a Luca Toni or a Fernando Torres. And Miroslav Klose. Klose has a great chance of emerging from this tournament with the coveted Golden Boot. His tally stands at five goals at present. Thierry Henry is on three. It's unlikely that France - never mind Henry alone - will get two past Italy's almost unpenetrable defence, therefore Klose is in a strong position. At 4/1 with Ladbrokes, backing the Werder Bremen hitman, who is now the target of some top Premiership clubs, to be the first goalscorer makes plenty of appeal. Also, backing Germany to win 2-0 at 13/2 with Betfred makes plenty of appeal. In their six matches during the Finals, Germany have scored eleven goals, which equates to an average of over 1.8 per game, a stat which backs up the recommendation. Portugal, meanwhile, despite the wing play of Ronaldo and the creativity of Deco in the middle of the park, just don't have the requisite firepower to break down a German defence which has got better with every game. An interesting encounter here will be that between Germany right back Philipp Lahm and Cristiano Ronaldo. Both young and tenacious, this will be a war of attrition. Lahm has impressed no end during the half-a-dozen games Germany have played in this competition. Such is his ability, he can keep Ronaldo at bay. Verdict: 1pt Miroslav Klose to be the first goalscorer @ 4/1 (Ladbrokes) & Germany to win 2-0 @ 13/2 (Betfred).