Euro 2012 team guide and squad: Portugal

IT IS Portugal’s great misfortune that they find themselves in the designated Group of Death with Germany, Netherlands and Denmark (Denmark, it should be noted, have earned the right to be considered a threat because they topped their qualifying group ahead of Portugal).

Had fortune dealt them a better hand, the quarter-finals would be the minimum expected of a team boasting one of the world’s best players (you know who we’re on about) and an intelligent midfield shaped in the image of coach and former Portugese international Paulo Bento. As it is, they may struggle to muscle ahead of a group containing two of the tournament favourites. The Portugese have been left vulnerable by fits of pique off the pitch (Ricardo Carvalho and Jose Bosingwa won’t play for the squad again while Bento is in charge, the latter having fallen out with both players over selection issues and feigned injuries respectively), and the defenders that remain for the selecção are of suspect temperament too - Real Madrid’s Pepe and Sporting Lisbon right-back Joao Pereira have shown themselves to be particularly volatile.

KEY PLAYER: There’s no getting away from it - Cristiano Ronaldo will be the all-singing (though probably not with quite this much gusto), all-dancing star attraction of the tournament. Having come off an astonishing season at Real Madrid, where he scored a record-breaking 46 goals in La Liga (and 60 in all competitions) to help Madrid to their first league title since 2008, the former Manchester United winger will undoubtedly be Portugal’s most potent threat.

ODDS: 18/1

WORLD RANKING: 10

GROUP B

FIXTURES

June 9, 2012 Germany (Lviv, Ukr)

June 13, 2012 Denmark (Lviv, Ukr)

June 17, 2012 Holland (Kharkiv, Ukr)

THE COACH: Paulo Bento - Credited with giving the Portugal midfield the verve often missing during Carlos Queiroz’s staid regime. Bento has made some juidicious improvements to the side he took over in 2010. A suspect defence (save for the goalkeeper Rui Patricio, who is rather handy between the sticks and is tipped for bigger and better things) and a difficult group will prove testing obstacles for the young manager - and that’s without taking into account the disciplinary issues he may yet run into. Bento has at his disposal a potentially great team, but he’ll be kept busy.

He said it... “Why wouldn’t I discuss (tactics) with the players? Obviously I won’t let them choose if we play 4-3-3 or 4-4-2, but we can say that the dish is steak and then ask them if they want it well-done or medium rare, with rice or with a little pasta on the side.”

SQUAD

Goalkeepers

Eduardo (Benfica)

Rui Patrício (Sporting Lisbon)

Beto (Cluj)

Defenders

Joao Pereira (Sporting)

Bruno Alves (Zenit St Petersburg)

Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid)

Pepe (Real Madrid), Ricardo Costa (Valencia)

Rolando (Porto)

Miguel Lopes (Braga)

Midfielders

Hugo Viana (Braga)

Joao Moutinho (Porto)

Miguel Veloso (Genoa)

Raul Meireles (Chelsea)

Ruben Micael (Zaragoza)

Custodio (Braga)

Forwards

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Hugo Almeida (Besiktas)

Helder Postiga (Zaragoza)

Nani (Manchester United)

Nelson Oliveira (Benfica)

Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas)

Silvestre Varela (Porto)