Euro 2008 Odds Favorite is Underdog

The Euro 2008 quarter-finals kick off tonight in Basel, Switzerland, with the most enticing contest of this stage of the tournament - Portugal vs Germany.

With both teams among the top four favorites in the overall Euro 2008 odds, there is a lot hanging on the match.  Portugal are a 9/2 equal second-favorite with Spain to win the tournament at UK-based Sportingbet, while Germany is also considered a real threat at 5/1. Holland is outright favorite at 7/2.

This contest puts Germany in the unfamiliar position of underdog. After finishing second to Croatia in Group B, the Germans come up against a red-hot, undefeated Portugal keen to make amends for their loss to Greece in the final of Euro 2004.

English football hall of famer Gary Lineker once remarked that "Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win."  This quote reminds us that the strong German footballing tradition that has seen the nation win three World Cups means one can never be overly confident against them.   The bookmakers seem to agree, installing them as only slight underdogs despite their extremely poor form so far this tournament, which saw them lose to Croatia and only barely get over the line against Group B minnows Austria.

Sportingbet has Germany 21/10 for the victory against Portugal 13/10, while Ladbrokes has looser odds on both teams, placing Germany at 9/4 odds against Portugal's 11/8.

Portugal's Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, rumored off the field to be considering a transfer to Real Madrid, is the 9/2 favorite at Sportingbet to open the scoring. Striker Miroslav Klose, still without a goal to his name in this tournament, heads the list of Germans with a chance to score first, at 6/1.

The game begins 2045 at local (Swiss) time.