Euro 2012: Germany v Portugal - Live on BBC 1

Tonight we see Germany, one of the favourites for the tournament, open their Euro 2012 campaign against a non-too shabby Portugal team. Both nations will be hoping to qualify from a very tough group that also boasts the Netherlands and Denmark, who play each other at 5pm. Germany have been tipped for greatness ever since their young stars graced the World Cup two years ago, and with a new sense of maturity and togetherness in their camp this proves to be a major tournament which decided whether they can compete with Europe€™s elite. In qualification they won all 10 of their matches, and have tasted victory in all of their last 11 competitive matches. A slight stumble in the warm up friendlies saw Joachim Loew€™s men lose two of the five matches, against France and Switzerland, but the Germans still head to the competition in high spirits. Their danger men include Real Madrid star Mesut Ozil, Bastian Schweinsteiger and new Arsenal signing Lukas Podolski. The camp has been in a relaxed mood ahead of their opening tie, visiting the Monaco Grand Prix and having dinner with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The bookies have them down as second favourites behind World Champions Spain, which is a far shout for anyone who fancies a flutter. But their first opponents Portugal won€™t be an easy three points. After recently slipping from five places from fifth to tenth in the latest FIFA rankings, they will feel they have a point to prove on a big stage, and any team with an £80 million superstar such as Christiano Ronaldo in their ranks stands a chance. But he won€™t be able to do it alone, a big boost for the Portuguese came with the news Nani will be fit to play, providing quality on both flanks. Goals could be hard to come by for Paulo Bento€™s side, so they will have to rely on a solid defence and getting the ball to the wide men in advance positions. They have two players in their squad who are yet to make their competitive debut, Miguel Lopes and Custodio have both played friendly matches, but could make their international bow in the tournament. Against one another Germany have the upper hand, winning eight of the 16 matches, with just three wins for Portugal, however things are much tighter in competitive matches, with Germany winning three and Portugal two. Their last encounter finished with Germany narrowly on top, with a 3-2 victory at Euro 2008. With the Tournament already having many talking points, these two teams will be hoping the only thing the papers are talking about is a victory for their team when the final whistle is blown.