Portugal vs. Germany – European Championship, June 19, 2021

Portugal and Germany meet for a heavyweight clash at the Allianz Arena this Saturday, June 19, as the second round of Euro 2020 group games concludes.

The reigning champions kicked off their title defense with a 3-0 victory over Group F underdogs Hungary on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Germans suffered a 1-0 defeat to France.

If the Portuguese win this weekend, they will take a giant step towards qualifying for the knockout phase. On the other hand, a loss for Joachim Low’s men would leave them with very little chance of reaching the last 16.

Before we get stuck into my Portugal vs. Germany prediction and pick, let’s take a look at the odds for Saturday’s showdown and assess both sides’ prospects.

Although this isn’t technically a “home” game for the Germans, they are likely to get a big boost from the Munich crowd on Saturday. The best online sportsbooks would have considered that factor when pricing up this match.

At first glance, I really like the look of the odds for both the Portugal win and draw bet here. Fernando Santos’ men controlled their opening game and will look to do the same this weekend.

Despite their obvious dominance, Portugal left it very late to secure all three points against Hungary. Following wave after wave of attack, Raphael Guerreiro gave his side the lead on 84 minutes before Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a last-gasp brace.

Still, it’s safe to say that Santos’ men deserved to beat the Hungarians. After all, they commanded proceedings and ended the game with 70% possession to their name.

Prior to the tournament, many believed that Ronaldo was past his best. Of course, the 36-year-old may have lost a yard of pace. But he proved his doubters wrong in style on Tuesday, producing a timeless performance.

The defending European champions extended their unbeaten streak to seven games last time out, while they have only lost one of their previous 16 matches in all competitions. Germany has every right to be fearful.

I think Low’s men can count themselves pretty unlucky to have come away from their opening game with nothing to show for their efforts.

Mats Hummels scored an unfortunate own goal midway through the first half, which ultimately proved to be the difference between the two sides. However, Germany enjoyed 62% and racked up ten shots, while France only managed four.

Having said that, France was arguably the better team on the night. The Germans registered just one attempt on Les Blues’ goal, while Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe both had goals ruled out by VAR.

Die Mannschaft’s lack of cutting edge in front of goal is a cause for concern. Attacking substitutes such as Timo Werner, Leroy Sane, and Kevin Volland were unable to improve on the efforts of starters like Serge Gnabry and Kai Havertz.

If Low’s men fail to make the most of their opportunities against Portugal, they will almost certainly be punished.

The Portuguese took some time to break the deadlock in their opening match. But once they got into their groove, there was no stopping them. As a result, I can see Santos’ men carrying their momentum into Saturday’s clash.

Although they dominated possession against France, the Germans posed very little threat in attack. For that reason, I’m backing Portugal to get the better of Low’s side in Munich.