The no-nonsense phase gets underway as Portugal clash with Germany in the first quarter-final tie of EURO 2008 on Thursday. The Portuguese have comfortably gone through a trouble-free group stage, but Germany's pedigree suggests that Luiz Felipe Scolari's side face a real test in Basel. The last confrontation between the two sides saw Germany record an emphatic 3-0 win in the third-place playoff of the 2006 World Cup. However, Felipao had the fortune of beating the National Mannschaft in a more important tie, when he led Brazil to a 2-0 victory in the 2002 World Cup final. Head-to-head: Portugal win: 3 Germany win: 7 Draw: 5 Portugal "Number 17 Germany - 1m98, number 13 - 1m88, Klose - 1m82, number 21 - 195. I have to worry about that - and that my players are 115cm, 120cm," Scolari joked ahead of Thursday's game.
...but the Germans are experienced "I have to worry about finding some way of dealing with their free-kicks." Team News: Scolari has a full-strength squad after resting his main players in the 2-0 defeat to Switzerland. Portugal are perhaps the most stable side in the competition so far, and Scolari declared that he will field the same team that beat Turkey and Czech Republic. Probable Line-up: Ricardo- Bosingwa, Ferreira, Pepe, Carvalho- Petit, Moutinho, Deco, Ronaldo, Simao- Nuno Gomes. Germany "They have the best player in the world (Cristiano Ronaldo)," said team manager Oliver Bierhoff. "You can never stop him for 90 minutes but it is very important that the defense and midfield stay very close together when he has the ball." Team News: Germany coach Joachim Low will have to watch the game from the stands as he is banned following a sending off against Austria. The Germans are sweating over the fitness of key duo Torsten Frings (fractured rib) and Lukas Podolski (calf). Mario Gomez, who was a regular starter in late, could be axed from the starting eleven after his poor first round performance. Probable Line-up: Lehmann- Friedrich, Lahm, Mertesacker, Metzelder- Frings, Ballack, Schweinsteiger, Hitzlsperger- Podolski, Klose.
