UEFA Euro 2012

Perhaps not the force they were three or four years ago but with Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo around who knows what might happen.

He can – and will – score goals out of nothing but I feel the Portuguese lack something in midfield, while defensively they’re certainly unreliable.

Manchester United winger Nani and Chelsea midfielder Raul Meireles will assist Ronaldo best they can.

The rest of the squad contains several well-known players, some vastly experienced, among them goalkeepers Rui Patricio (Sporting Lisbon) and Eduardo (Benfica); defenders Joao Pereira (Sporting Lisbon), Bruno Alves (Zenit St Petersburg), Fabio Coentrao and Pepe (both from Real Madrid), Ricardo Costa (Valencia), Rolando (FC Porto) and Miguel Lopes (Braga); midfielders Carlos Martins (Granada), Joao Moutinho (FC Porto), Miguel Veloso (Genoa), Ruben Micael (Zaragoza) and Custodio (Braga) and strikers Hugo Almeida (Besiktas), Helder Postiga (Zaragoza), star of the recent Under-20 World Cup Nelson Oliveira (Benfica), Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas) and Silvestre Varela (FC Porto).

Coach Paulo Bento said: “It would not be surprising to see the next European champions coming out of our group; it could be us”.

“We have a very clear objective, first to get to the quarter-finals, then, naturally, to try to go as far as possible.”

It’s the quarter-finals and out for me.