The history is on Germany's side as they have never lost to Greece in the past. And frankly speaking, Loew's squad is now on a different level compared to Santos'. Germany cruised through the Group Stage with 9 points, while Greece was the at bottom of group A before their last match against Russia.
Fun fact number 1, prior to the encounter at Gdansk stadium, Germany and Greece have never lost in EURO's quarterfinal. In the last 4 times that Germany got to quarterfinal, they won all. Although they have been to only one quarterfinal, Greece later emerged as champion of EURO 2004.
Fun fact number 2, the man behind Greece's glorious 2004 was Otto Rehhagel, a famous German coach with his trade-mark defensive style.
However, a miracle is not likely to take place tonight, as Greece is now only the shadow of themselves in EURO 2004, and sitting on the host seat is Fernando Santos, the Portuguese who is more towards offensive football.
Germany is clearly the favorite to win
Head to Head Track Record
The two team met each other first time in 1960 and half a century has passed but Greece has never beaten Germany. In the last 8 encounters, they had 5 losses and 3 draws.
Greece lost 0-3 in home ground, and 1-2 in Germany's territory in World Cup 1962's qualification. Similar pattern happened in World Cup 2002's qualification when Germany won 2-0 in Hamburg and 4-2 in Athens.
Performance
Needless to say, Loew's team is the best performing team in the group stage. They grabbed all 9 points in 3 matches, cruising through the "Group of Death" over Portugal, Netherlands and Denmark. They looked strong at the back and sharp in front. Mario Gomez, Germany's striker, is on top of scoring chart at EURO 2012.
On the other hand, the journey to quarterfinal for Greece was not easy. Draw with Poland, lost to Czech meant they were at the bottom of the table and needed a miracle. They made it happen by winning over Russia, the favorite at group A. Unfortunate for Greece, their hero, captain Karagounis, will be sitting on the bench due to his yellow card in the last mach.
With or without Karagounis, it's hard to believe that Greece will continue their fairy tale tonight. Germany is famous for their disciplined and ruthless football.
Their fairy tale is likely to come to an end tonight, as Germany is famous for their disciplined and ruthless football. Schweinstaiger and teammates are clearly the favorite to be in the semi-final.
Our Prediction
While Germany looks solid, Greece seems to have played all their cards. It will be dominating match for Loew's men, and 2-0 will be our prediction for tonight quarterfinal.
Betting Tips
Let's take a look at 36BOL major market for the match between Germany and Greece
Source: 36BOL.com
Our recommended bet would be Germany Asian Handicap (-) 1.50 at odds 0.990. With both teams' playing style, we would suggest the scoreline below 2.50 so go for Under 2.50 at odds 1.053. Watch out for the bet first goal/last goal as we think that Gomez once again will score.
For more odds and markets, visit 36BOL Sports Betting
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