Bruno Fernandes praises Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Germany clash
Take a look at Bruno Fernandes’ press conference ahead of the match between Portugal an Germany in the second round of Euro 2020 group stage.
Portugal vs Germany: Line-ups
Portugal
Germany
Germans Desperately Need a Win
#1
Portugal will be looking to book their spot in the knockout round of the European Championship with one match to spare when they take on Germany in Munich on Saturday evening. Fernando Santos’s side opened their Euro 2020 campaign with a 3-0 win over Hungary, but Germany have work to do in Group F, having suffered a 1-0 loss to tournament favourites France.
#2
Portugal have a strong overall record in this competition, reaching the semi-finals in 1984, 2000 and 2012, while they were present in the final eight of Euro 1996 and Euro 2008. Portugal were also runners-up on home soil at Euro 2004 and are, of course, the holders, having beaten France 1-0 in the final of Euro 2016.
#3
Santos’s team are now on a seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions, but they have lost each of their last four international fixtures with Germany, including a 4-0 defeat when the two teams last locked horns at the 2014 World Cup.
#4
Germany will be unable to finish in the top two positions if they lose this match and Hungary do not beat France, but third, which could potentially bring a spot in the round of 16, would still be open.
#5
Die Mannschaft will be desperate to bounce back against Portugal, though, as they bid to qualify for the knockout round of the European Championship for the fourth time in succession. Having won the tournament in 1996, the Germans then failed to make it out of the group stage in 2000 and 2004. DFB-Elf finished as runners-up at Euro 2008 before making the semi-finals in 2012 and 2016, though, and it would not be a surprise to see them advance deep into this competition despite their issues against France.
DPP Verdict
There is simply no downplaying the importance of this contest despite the early stage of the tournament. Germany will be so desperate to avoid defeat that it could turn into a cagey affair, but Portugal would likely accept a point, so it’s likely that the two teams play out a low-scoring draw.
