Greece Hoping for 2004-esque Performance Against Germany

Greece are in a crisis that could affect the whole of Europe, especially the Germans. The Greeks are angry at Chancellor Merkel for carrying on the austerity plan despite of the worsening situation in Greece where Euro 2012 has taken a back seat so far as a result of the elections. With a government finally now in place, coupled with the success of the Greek football side so far, attention will turn to a much-anticipated quarter-final with Germany. This is also a great opportunity for Greece to get their own back on a country that has not done them many favours in recent months. 

However they face a side that they have never beaten in eight matches, losing five times. Despite this the Germans have never beaten Greece in a major tournament and their only previous meeting in a European Championship ended 0-0 in 1980. Back then Greece had no real football history and it was their first appearance at a major finals which they departed at the group stage. Their next appearance came in World Cup 1994 where the first round once again proved a step too far. Although in 2001 legendary German coach Otto Rehhagel took over the manager's job and improved results brought them Euro 2004 qualification. This was a great achievement in itself and some bookmakers priced them at 150/1 to win the tournament. Nevertheless this did not deter them and they shocked Portugal, France, Czech Republic and then hosts Portugal again in the final to win an astonishing title. 

Rehhagel became a legendary figure in Greece as a result and they also qualified for Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010; at one point holding eighth place in the FIFA World Rankings. When he resigned as manager many Greeks became sceptical of whether or not they could carry on as a top footballing side. Despite these fears they have continued to exceed expectations and qualified for this year's tournament as group winners over the more-fancied Croatia. So far at the finals Fernando Santos's side have surprised many in qualifying for the knock-out stages which they did with a shocking 1-0 win over Russia. This will give them hope of doing well against an excellent German side who still look like they could move up another gear. 

Mario Gomez is rumoured to be replaced in the starting line-up by Miroslav Klose who is a lofty second in the list of Euro and World Cup finals goals with 16. The Germans have an array of attacking talent behind him in Mesut Ozil, Thomas Meuller and Bastian Schweinsteiger. Added to this is a powerful back-line led by captain Phillip Lahm and Bayern Munich defender Holger Badstuber. However the Greeks will be hopeful of catching out the Germans on the counter-attack who do have a lack of pace. But Joachim Loew's team will be confident of scoring goals and have not failed to score in 19 international matches, the longest ever scoring streak tied with Uruguay. 

Europe expects victory for the three-time winners but as Greece have proved in the recent past they should never be written off. They are always hard to beat and play as a team with great passion and fight. Germany will feel they have much more quality and that a professional performance should be enough to seal a smooth passage into the semi-finals. 

Group Of Death Nears Thrilling Conclusion

Four of Europe's biggest footballing nations meet again today, but for two of them it will be their last involvement at these championships. Portugal are the only side in Group B without a Euro title, although they have an array of footballing talent in their current squad. A win today against the Netherlands would seal qualification and eliminate their opponents. For the 1988 champions victory against Portugal, coupled with a Germany win over Denmark would see them progress despite losing their first two matches. All three-time winners Germany need is a point against their Scandinavian rivals, while a Danish win would see them go through. The only way the 2008 runners-up can be eliminated is if they lose to Denmark and Portugal beat the Netherlands. If this happens it would come down to goal difference in matches between these three teams. 

Germany have won a record three European Championships and reached a record six finals. Their last win was in England in 1996 when they beat the Czech Republic in the final, adding to previous wins in 1972 and 1980. As Europe's most successful team and in good recent form they are one of the favourites for this tournament. They have sealed two very good wins against Portugal and Holland so far with all three goals scored by striker Mario Gomez, underlying their status as one of the championships's biggest threats. However all their good work could be undone today with a shock defeat to Denmark, who have already sprung a surprise in beating 2010 World Cup runners-up The Netherlands. 

The Oranje were hoping to bring 'sexy' football and flair to this year's Championships and to evoke memories of Marco van Basten's famous strike that sealed Euro glory back in 1988. That year they beat West Germany to reach the final and the Soviet Union 2-0 in that famous encounter. This month they arrived in Ukraine with high hopes of repeating that success, ranked number four in the FIFA World rankings and with some of the world's most celebrated players. However they have struggled to find the goals required to win games and have looked shaky at the back. Despite this other results have worked in their favour and with nothing to lose they can go out tonight and really attack Portugal from the off in an attempt to save their campaign. Rafael van der Vaart could start as well as Eredivisie's top scorer Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in an attempt to blow the Portuguese away. 

Although they are the only side in this group to have never won the European Championships, Portugal have one of the most feared sides in the world. Two-time World Player of the Year winner Cristiano Ronaldo is yet to set the tournament alight but everyone knows what he is capable of and could well be the man to make the difference when it matters most. Manchester United winger Nani always looks a threat and they have strength at the back in Pepe and Jose Bosingwa. After the dramatic 3-2 win over Denmark in their last game Portugal will be confident of qualification needing only a point providing Germany dispose of Denmark. 

However Denmark will have plenty to say about that. The shock 1992 winners are ranked at nine in the FIFA rankings and have a good squad that are always difficult to beat without lacking in quality. Striker Nicklas Bendtner scored twice as they came back from 2-0 down against Portugal and veteran winger Denis Rommedahl has always been capable of something out of the ordinary. Captain Daniel Agger is one of the world's top defenders and was immense in their opening 1-0 win over Holland. They will go all out to make life difficult for the Germans tonight as they need just a point to qualify if the Dutch beat Portugal. The Scandinavians should not be written off and could well go deep into the knock-out stages.

This evening should prove to be a footballing feast as all four teams hold realistic hopes of claiming a quarter-final spot. Last night's action could be tough to follow but this group's conclusion is sure to be a great spectacle with plenty of the world's best players going head-to-head.