Portugal or Germany

[willer_rookie]

Traditionally, Germany are slow starters in any kind of tourney format. Thats he only reason why I dont bet POR hard.

Seriously, they have not played well and I dont see anyone on that team all of sudden blossoming and becoming a difference maker.

They are stout defensively and the under is the way to go, IMO

 

[fhmesq44]

Guys just because Podolski has scored 3 goals this tourny doesn't make him a great player all of a sudden. The man has scored 9 goals in 47 appearances for his club side Bayern. I mean he doesn't even start every game for Bayern. Do you know why? Because he's not that great, thats why! lol

Yeah a couple balls fell nicely inside the box on his fav left foot and he slammed them home. Now he's a star? And the first goal could've been finished by any warm body, tap in from a 2-0 break.

Bastian can take his place and do fine. Guy doesn't score to often but is a better creater down the flanks.

He may have 9 in 47 for Bayern, but he has 28 in 51 for Germany. Look, I am no Podolski fan, I personally don't think he is all that great either, but he has absolutely been their best player in this tournament and is a scoring machine when he pulls on the German white (he has a better per game scoring record than Klose). To discount his loss b/c he sucks at Bayern is a mistake. Maybe it is the national team style or players that suit him better, but whatever the reason, he is a different player for Germany than he is for Bayern.

 

[jambolaya1]

Guys just because Podolski has scored 3 goals this tourny doesn't make him a great player all of a sudden. The man has scored 9 goals in 47 appearances for his club side Bayern. I mean he doesn't even start every game for Bayern. Do you know why? Because he's not that great, thats why! lol

Yeah a couple balls fell nicely inside the box on his fav left foot and he slammed them home. Now he's a star? And the first goal could've been finished by any warm body, tap in from a 2-0 break.

Bastian can take his place and do fine. Guy doesn't score to often but is a better creater down the flanks.

I dont think it matters who plays for Germany. If you have seen them play, then you can see that they are not playing as a team. They put up a rather pathetic performance against Croatia, same with Austria.

These guys are not playing as one and are going to be beated badly by a team that plays proper team football.

 

[HPark1]

He may have 9 in 47 for Bayern, but he has 28 in 51 for Germany. Look, I am no Podolski fan, I personally don't think he is all that great either, but he has absolutely been their best player in this tournament and is a scoring machine when he pulls on the German white (he has a better per game scoring record than Klose). To discount his loss b/c he sucks at Bayern is a mistake. Maybe it is the national team style or players that suit him better, but whatever the reason, he is a different player for Germany than he is for Bayern.

I'd like to get a breakdown of those 28 goals. Probably had games of 3-4 goals against San Marino.

Look I've watched a ton of games involving Podolski. He's a good player but not irreplaceable.

 

[fhmesq44]

I don't think our opinions of him in a general sense are all that different. I do, however, think he is much better internationally than domestically and in its current makeup, I don't think Germany has anyone remotely close to his skill set. They don't have any left sided player with speed or who is as attacking as he is. Only Odonkor has any speed and he isn't as attack/shoot minded as Podolski. I guess what I am saying is that, however good he may be, there is a big drop off between him and the next player (probably Bastian) and there isn't anyone else at another position who can pick up his offensive loss.

He has fattened up against crappy teams:

<table class="wikitable"><tbody><tr><th>#</th> <th>Date</th> <th>Venue</th> <th>Opponent</th> <th>Score</th> <th>Result</th> <th>Competition</th> </tr> <tr> <td>1.</td> <td>December 21, 2004</td> <td>Bangkok, Thailand</td> <td> Thailand</td> <td>3-1</td> <td>5-1</td> <td>Friendly</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2.</td> <td>December 21, 2004</td> <td>Bangkok, Thailand</td> <td> Thailand</td> <td>5-1</td> <td>5-1</td> <td>Friendly</td> </tr> <tr> <td>3.</td> <td>March 5, 2005</td> <td>Ljubljana, Slovenia</td> <td> Slovenia</td> <td>1-0</td> <td>1-0</td> <td>Friendly</td> </tr> <tr> <td>4.</td> <td>June 4, 2005</td> <td>Belfast, Northern Ireland</td> <td> Northern Ireland</td> <td>4-1</td> <td>4-1</td> <td>Friendly</td> </tr> <tr> <td>5.</td> <td>June 15, 2005</td> <td>Frankfurt, Germany</td> <td> Australia</td> <td>4-2</td> <td>4-3</td> <td>Confederations Cup 2005</td> </tr> <tr> <td>6.</td> <td>June 25, 2005</td> <td>Nuremberg, Germany</td> <td> Brazil</td> <td>1-1</td> <td>2-3</td> <td>Confederations Cup 2005</td> </tr> <tr> <td>8.</td> <td>September 7, 2005</td> <td>Berlin, Germany</td> <td> South Africa</td> <td>1-0</td> <td>4-2</td> <td>Friendly</td> </tr> <tr> <td>9.</td> <td>September 7, 2005</td> <td>Berlin, Germany</td> <td> South Africa</td> <td>3-1</td> <td>4-2</td> <td>Friendly</td> </tr> <tr> <td>10.</td> <td>September 7, 2005</td> <td>Berlin, Germany</td> <td> South Africa</td> <td>4-2</td> <td>4-2</td> <td>Friendly</td> </tr> <tr> <td>11.</td> <td>May 27, 2006</td> <td>Freiburg, Germany</td> <td> Luxembourg</td> <td>3-0</td> <td>7-0</td> <td>Friendly</td> </tr> <tr> <td>12.</td> <td>May 27, 2006</td> <td>Freiburg, Germany</td> <td> Luxembourg</td> <td>5-0</td> <td>7-0</td> <td>Friendly</td> </tr> <tr> <td>13.</td> <td>June 20, 2006</td> <td>Berlin, Germany</td> <td> Ecuador</td> <td>3-0</td> <td>3-0</td> <td>World Cup 2006</td> </tr> <tr> <td>14.</td> <td>June 24, 2006</td> <td>Munich, Germany</td> <td> Sweden</td> <td>1-0</td> <td>2-0</td> <td>World Cup 2006</td> </tr> <tr> <td>15.</td> <td>June 24, 2006</td> <td>Munich, Germany</td> <td> Sweden</td> <td>2-0</td> <td>2-0</td> <td>World Cup 2006</td> </tr> <tr> <td>16.</td> <td>September 2, 2006</td> <td>Stuttgart, Germany</td> <td> Republic of Ireland</td> <td>1-0</td> <td>1-0</td> <td>Euro 2008 qualifying</td> </tr> <tr> <td>17.</td> <td>September 6, 2006</td> <td>Serravalle, San Marino</td> <td> San Marino</td> <td>1-0</td> <td>13-0</td> <td>Euro 2008 qualifying</td> </tr> <tr> <td>18.</td> <td>September 6, 2006</td> <td>Serravalle, San Marino</td> <td> San Marino</td> <td>5-0</td> <td>13-0</td> <td>Euro 2008 qualifying</td> </tr> <tr> <td>19.</td> <td>September 6, 2006</td> <td>Serravalle, San Marino</td> <td> San Marino</td> <td>8-0</td> <td>13-0</td> <td>Euro 2008 qualifying</td> </tr> <tr> <td>20.</td> <td>September 6, 2006</td> <td>Serravalle, San Marino</td> <td> San Marino</td> <td>10-0</td> <td>13-0</td> <td>Euro 2008 qualifying</td> </tr> <tr> <td>21.</td> <td>October 11, 2006</td> <td>Bratislava, Slovakia</td> <td> Slovakia</td> <td>1-0</td> <td>4-1</td> <td>Euro 2008 qualifying</td> </tr> <tr> <td>22.</td> <td>October 11, 2006</td> <td>Bratislava, Slovakia</td> <td> Slovakia</td> <td>4-1</td> <td>4-1</td> <td>Euro 2008 qualifying</td> </tr> <tr> <td>23.</td> <td>September 12, 2007</td> <td>Cologne, Germany</td> <td> Romania</td> <td>3-1</td> <td>3-1</td> <td>Friendly</td> </tr> <tr> <td>24.</td> <td>November 17, 2007</td> <td>Hannover, Germany</td> <td> Cyprus</td> <td>3-0</td> <td>4-0</td> <td>Euro 2008 qualifying</td> </tr> <tr> <td>25.</td> <td>March 26, 2008</td> <td>Basel, Switzerland</td> <td> Switzerland</td> <td>4-0</td> <td>4-0</td> <td>Friendly</td> </tr> <tr> <td>26.</td> <td>June 8, 2008</td> <td>Klagenfurt, Austria</td> <td> Poland</td> <td>1-0</td> <td>2-0</td> <td>Euro 2008</td> </tr> <tr> <td>27.</td> <td>June 8, 2008</td> <td>Klagenfurt, Austria</td> <td> Poland</td> <td>2-0</td> <td>2-0</td> <td>Euro 2008</td> </tr> <tr> <td>28.</td> <td>June 12, 2008</td> <td>Klagenfurt, Austria</td> <td> Croatia</td> <td>1-2</td> <td>1-2</td> <td>Euro 2008</td></tr></tbody></table>

 

[MrCleo]

wow podolski is out? they looked slow WITH him out there and it won't get any better for the germs i'd think. this definitley hurts the germans chances imo. Gomez, one could argue, has been the worst player in the whole tournament. Loew is also suspended for the game. Portugal are rightly favored but soccer can be a crazy game.

 

[-Chase-]

I'd like to get a breakdown of those 28 goals. Probably had games of 3-4 goals against San Marino.

Look I've watched a ton of games involving Podolski. He's a good player but not irreplaceable.

Nailed it. People look at how many goals a guy has gotten for his club and let that make too much of an influence on their opinion of him.

You need to look at not only the teams he's getting these goals against (remember that they play a bunch of shit teams in qualifying games that they beat 10-0, so there's an easy way to pad goal stats), but also look at how he gets some of the goals. Is it possible he just gets lucky with balls ending up on his foot in easy situations to score? Of coarse it is, and I'm sure his replacement could have scored pretty much the same amount as him given the exact same chances. I'm not saying he hasn't made some beauties, but keep in mind most goals could be scored by most players on the team, the guy who scored was just the lucky one with the opportunity.

The guy obviously has talent, but not enough to change your stance on who you think is going to win. If you thought Portugal was going to win with him, then obviously you still think so without him. If you thought Germany was going to win with him, you should still think so without him. He doesn't make a huge difference.

If I was backing Germany I would be more worried if someone like Ballack or Klose were out instead of Podolski.

 

[JDeuce]

Haven't posted one of my plays on here since the Champions League final, where I pushed on over 2 goals and won the extra time bet. I've been up and down so far in the Euros, but fucking Romania wiped out all my profits the other day...ugh.

I really think the chances of a draw tomorrow are better than the +200 I'm seeing in some shops. If this game is level in the 70th or so minute, I expect both teams to get ultra-cautious, simply play out the regular time and go into the extra session. Even if Germany gets down late though, they have a historic knack for getting a late equalizer or winner. No one wants to make a mistake that late in regulation though, and both sides are probably disciplined enough not to. I especially like the draw possibility since...

Two of the three goals Portugal conceded in this entire tournament came when the result didn't matter either way, and both the goals Germany gave up came against high-flying Croatia. In order for this to go over the 2.5 tomorrow, at least one of the teams will have to score twice, and I just don't find that to be very likely. My biggest fear is if one of the them is down 1-0 late and has to throw everything they have forward, leaving them vulnerable for the easy counter-attack. But I'm fully expecting the score to be 1-1 after the 90 minutes. This price on this one is high, but not too high for me to pass up.

Draw: +200 (risking 1 unit to win 2.00)
Under 2.5 goals (risking 1.70 units to win 1.00)

 

[Mobdeeper7239]

Is it confirmed that he is out for sure today?

 

[COYOTEBLUE]

A Rested Portugal Side Should Beat Germany (with Their Manager In The Stands) ... Although ... Dont Think They Will Completely Dominate The Game I Think Portugal Gets The Win Here In A Tightly Fought Match ...

 

[Huego]

under

 

[Shumakov]

Germany passage
закуривай длинную сигарету :missingte

 

[MonsterBuck]

:lol: Думаю немцам сегодня непросто будет против португальцев...

 

[Akillies]

so who is out, suspensions injuries?

 

[MonsterBuck]

Podolski, Frings doubtful, think they'll get limited play time...Nothing is 100% yet, will wait till 1/2 hour before gametime

 

[Shumakov]

:lol: Думаю немцам сегодня непросто будет против португальцев...

наврядли что то получится у португальцев
уберут немцы по-легкому d1g1t

 

[MarkieMark+]

Podolski, Frings doubtful, think they'll get limited play time...Nothing is 100% yet, will wait till 1/2 hour before gametime

Confirmed line-ups will be posted at uefa.com 1 Hour before kick-off.

 

[MarkieMark+]

It looks like word is coming in about player status.

Germany just went up to pk +130.

 

[MonsterBuck]

Lineups posted, no Frings, Podolski and Klose playing...Gomez as a sub.

Portugal like always

 

[CAP-IT-OFF]

Portugal 15 units to advance for me.