Schweinsteiger: Portugal The Strongest Team At Euro 2008

Drawn in Group B with Croatia, co-hosts Austria and Poland, fortune certainly favoured the record three-time winners of the Euros Germany, but they barely made it count in progressing to the quarterfinal stage, with an unconvincing win over Austria and a dismal loss to Croatia cancelling out the good work begun in their solid opener against Poland.

It was in the Croatia defeat that Bastian Schweinsteiger saw red late on for a needless push, having only just come on as a substitute. "I did make a mistake against Croatia and I know that, but I will try and play my game and hope to make some positive contributions to help the team win this game," said the Bayern Munich midfielder.

"I think if we do win this game, then I will have played my part to help. We showed against Poland what we are capable of, but we also know that we can do even more and that is our biggest strength.

"Hopefully we can build on our good games, like away at the Czech Republic in the qualifiers. That game has got to be our benchmark."

With memories of the two sides' 2006 World Cup meeting in the third place play-off still relatively fresh in the memory, Schweinsteiger still revels in his two goals that led his side to a 3-1 victory on home soil, but admits Portugal have become stronger in the past two years - hailing them the strongest team in the tournament - without going as far as to suggest whether he believes his own team have improved or not.

"It is a new game and Portugal have changed a lot from then and it will be a lot more difficult than in 2006," he insisted. "They are more mature and, for me, they are the strongest team at Euro 2008. I expect it to be a very difficult game for us.

"Portugal have had one day more to recover than us, but that should not play a role. We have got to put our foot down from the very beginning.

"I don't think we have to be fearful in any way. It is a new game, a knockout game, and we have the right attitude for it. They are the big favourites for the title and, except for their last game [which a second string lost 2-0 to Switzerland in a dead rubber], they have played excellently and it will be very hard to beat them."

Hans Schmidt, Goal.com