Portugal v Germany: Euro 2008 quarter-final

Euro 2008 reaches the business end of the tournament today with the first quarter-final throwing up an intriguing battle between the flowing football of the Portuguese and the clincial finishing of the Germans. Click here for a free £200 to bet on Portugal v Germany with Canbet Portugal did little wrong in qualifying for the last eight by topping Group A, although coach Luiz Felipe Scolari's decision to rest nearly his whole team in defeat to Swizerland once they had already qualfied may come back to haunt him. Portugal's 2-0 defeat in their last group game showed that they do not have too much strength in depth and also took the gloss of two fine Group wins. Plus there is the continued speculation surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo that has affected the team's build-up. Scolari did a grand job during his press conference yesterday of painting the young Portuguese winger as the best player in the world when he described him as "simple, humble and a magnificent worker," but the whole thing smacks of politics. Scolari will be at Stamford Bridge next season and the one thing he will not want to face is a rampant Ronaldo playing for Manchester United in the Premier League. Big up the winger, get Real Madrid to raise their offer to a level that the Glazers cannot refuse and thereby strip United of their best asset. The 8/11 still available that Ronaldo will not start next season at Old Trafford should be snapped up - after all if he was staying how easy would it be for him to declare his love for the Old Trafford outfit and their fans and let the whole sorry state of affairs move on? Portugal will be hoping for a repeat of their convincing 3-0 win over Germany at Euro 2000 but Germany will hope to reproduce their World Cup third place playoff victory (3-1) from the last World Cup, the last time the two sides met in any ompetition. Joachim Low however looks like having a tougher task on his hands. Not only will his involvement be hampered on the night as he is suspended and will have to sit in the stands but he will also potentially be without two key figures - both Torsten Frings and Lukas Podolski are facing late fitness tests. Frings would be a big loss to his side as if fit he would man-mark Ronaldo. The German back four is not the most mobile of units but balancing that out is the fact that they don't need to be as Portugal are not the strongest when it comes to centre forwards. Germany's gameplan will revolve around putting the squeeze on Ronaldo and Deco and blunting the Portuguese attack. The Germans have a big height advantage and will prove a threat at all set-pieces and in Michael Ballack they have a potential match-winner as proved with his free-kick in the 1-0 win against Austria last time out. Because it is a quarter-final and both sides will be more cagey and because of the tactics Low will put into practise, the outcome could well go all the way to penalties. Add to that the fact that the playing surface at the St Jakob Park stadium in Basel has been relaid and is reported to be poor and you are looking at a tight and scrappy affair. Germany are traditionally the stronger when it comes to spot kicks but Portugal are no slouches (England fans will vouch for both sides when it comes to penalties) and in Scolari Portugal have a coach who appears to have the all-important element of luck on his side. Take Portugal to win on penalties at 19/2. Verdict: 3pts Ronaldo not to be at Old Trafford at start of next season 8/11; 1pt Portugal to win on penalties 19/2 Click here for a free £200 to bet on Portugal v Germany with Canbet