Germany will have a baptism by fire in World Cup 2014 when they come out for their opening match in the tournament against Portugal. Portugal would have been an easy prey had it not been for the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks. Ronaldo, fresh from the Champions League crown with Real Madrid, would look forward to shoulder the entire hopes of a nation. Germany, on the other hand, is one of the best all-round teams in the tournament.

Germany-Portugal Preview

Germany rarely misses out of the quarter final or even semi final stages of world cup. They are expected to top the group that also comprises Ghana and the USA. They play an efficient brand of soccer, executed with the help of a sturdy defence, dynamic midfield and sharp strikers. The team does not have any pronounced weakness. They lack flair, but they almost always play at 100% of their ability.

Portugal may find the group tough. Ghana and the USA are not easy opponents by their standards. They need a good beginning against Germany to set the ball rolling. They will most likely to adopt a simple game plan: get the ball up to Ronaldo. While this may work against weaker opponents, this may not bear desired fruits against Germany.

Players

Bastian Schweinsteiger is still not fully recovered from injury, and will not start. Philipp Lahm and Sami Khedira too are nursing minor injury, but are expected to be fit for the match. The injury-forced absence of Marco Reus has paved way for the return of Lukas Podolski. After all these years, Miroslav Klose remains their sole centre forward. That may not be a problem for them as Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller can be dazzlingly prolific.

Pepe, Fabio Coentrao and Joao Moutinho are the other recognizable stars in the Portuguese line-up.

Germany-Portugal Prediction

Germany usually finds a way to win against Portugal. Unless Ronaldo produces a super human performance, not a easy game to predict match result. Over 1.5 goals is the best selection for this game.

Over 1.5 goals 1.35 @ Bet365

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