Germany and Portugal, two football powerhouse teams, will collide on Monday at the Arena Fonte Nova in one of the most highly anticipated matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Germany and Portugal, who are considered as favorites to reach the semifinals of this year's tournament, are familiar with each other, having met thrice during the last two World Cups and two European Championships.
Both teams are aware that they can't afford to lose in their opening match, knowing that the other two teams in Group G - United States and Ghana - are capable of pulling off upsets in the group stages.
Germany coach Joachim Loew admitted that they cannot afford to relax, knowing that Portugal will be a tough nut to crack as proven by their performance in previous tournaments.
"A win would give us a boost for the upcoming games," Loew said. "In this group it is very important. We have three really unpleasant opponents. And just because of their class, Portugal are a tough nut to crack. They have gone far in all recent tournaments. And indeed, only lost to Spain with their last shot in the penalty shootout in the Euro 2012 semi-final."
Loew pointed out that players like Joao Moutinho, Nani, Pepe, Fabio Coentrao, and Cristiano Ronaldo are expected to make life difficult for Germany.
Ronaldo recently underwent knee surgery, which made him doubtful for the group stages, but Portugal coach Paulo Bento confirmed that the Real Madrid superstar forward will start against Germany.
"A player like Ronaldo is important for any team, and that's the case for us," Ronaldo said. "It's good that he is back. Group G has a team in Germany who may be considered favorites because of their history and potential, but it is a very balanced group. USA and Ghana are well organized and have some good values, but we have the ambition to move forward."
Injury concerns also surrounded Germany over the past several days, but Loew confirmed that all players are fully fit heading into Monday's match, including Bastian Schweinsteiger, who was recently airlifted during their training camp allegedly because of a knee injury.
The Germany-Portugal match kicks off at 12 p.m. EST and will be shown via ESPN and through this link.
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