Denmark v Portugal betting
Manager Martin Olsen will be the longest serving coach at Euro 2012 and his experience will be completely vital for a team that were poor in the 2010 World Cup and come into this tournament against three of the best teams in the world.
They will take heart from their 2-1 victory over Portugal in the last game of the qualifying stages. With both teams on 16 points the pressure was on both of them, and Denmark dealt with it better to win the game, with Portugal only scoring in injury time when 2-0 down.
Whether their younger players can turn their potential into a problem for Portugal remains to be seen, and if they are not at the top of their game they could be out of the tournament after two games.
Portugal
Can Cristiano Ronaldo step up at a major international tournament and show his ability off on the big stage? He has struggled to do so before, but with his team as inconsistent as ever he will need to be at his imperial best to grab goals and terrify teams. Otherwise, this may be another finals where Portugal disappoint, especially with the opposition they face in this group.
After starting qualification with a home draw to Cyprus they then went to Norway and lost. On the back foot early on they then won their next five games before losing the crucial winner takes all last game in Denmark.
Aside from that defeat they walked over Denmark in the home match. They clearly have the potential to score goals against any team, and that 3-1 victory could be needed with the group they are in.
Match Prediction: Portugal Win
Denmark are a functional team with some potentially quality players, but it shows their lack of depth considering Dennis Rommedahl is still in and around the first XI. Nicklas Bendtner is half the striker he believes himself to, maybe even less considering his ego, so unless 19-year old Christian Eriksen can drag them through with his undoubted ability, Daniel Agger could be their top performer.
And the Liverpool defender may need to be here, considering he will have Nani and Ronaldo coming at him with pace and an eye for goal to say the least. Even one time Tottenham flop Helder Postiga is just under a goal every other game for his country, and with those two supporting him his job is as much about putting goals away as to make space for their attacking intent.
It is this obvious quality that will lead Portugal to victory, and into a crucial last match of the group stages.
Highlighted Bets:- Over/Under: Over 2.5 Goals First Goalscorer: Nani Correct Score: 3-1 PortugalMatch Odds:-
Denmark - Draw - Portugal -