GERMANY kicked off the Group of Death with defeat to world champions France and their Euro 2020 task doesn't get any easier as reigning Euro kings Portugal come calling on matchday two.
I backed the Germans to lose their opener to the French, despite having home advantage, and the bet never really looked in danger as Joachim Low's men lacked a threat up front.
The 1-0 defeat would have been even heavier had VAR not ruled out goals for Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema so Germany will need a vastly improved performance.
Portugal started by defeating Hungary 3-0 in Budapest, with Cristiano Ronaldo coming to life at the end to get his campaign off to a flier with a double.
Fernando Santos has a stronger squad than the one which claimed victory at Euro 2016 and will be out to take advantage of any lingering German doubts.
The Portuguese will be out to book their spot in the last 16 with at least a point so the pressure is off ahead of their final group game with a formidable France side.
How the bookies view it
Germany are slight favourites with home advantage in Munich and are a best 17/12 with SBK. Portugal are 23/10 with the same firm but I'm more drawn to the stalemate at 12/5 as it's a result both sides won't be too unhappy with.
Head to head
Germany have a pretty formidable record against the Portuguese, winning 10 of their 18 encounters and losing just three. But Portugal can take some heart from the fact they thrashed the Germans 3-0 at Euro 2000, with Sergio Conceicao scoring a hat-trick.
However, Germany got revenge for that defeat with a 3-2 win in the Euro 2008 quarter-final (below) then a 1-0 group stage victory four years later.
Players to watch
Cristiano Ronaldo (below) is always worth backing when he's odds-against and Unibet are offering 7/4 on him scoring, a price that looks great value. It took the Juventus star time to get going in Hungary but he sparked to life when it mattered.
Few German forwards impressed against the French so I'm going to tip midfielder Ilkay Gundogan again at 4/1 with BetVictor given he should be on the penalties.
Anything else catch the eye?
A draw isn't the worst result for either side so this could be cagey as they size each other up. For that reason, I fancy under 2.5 goals which is good for accumulators at 5/6 SportNation. The half-time draw is also worth considering at 11/10 with Bet365.
Most games at the Euros have sparked to life after the break so it could be worth backing the second period to be the highest-scoring half at 11/10 with McBookie.
This Euro 2020 match between Portugal and Germany will be played on Jun 19, 2021 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Portugal vs Germany prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
