Portugal v Spain
Portugal are hitting their straps at the perfect time. Cristiano Ronaldo is one fire, scoring three goals in the past two games, as well as hitting the woodwork a further four times. He's making a name for himself as the best player in Europe, and he can go one step further against Spain. With Helder Postiga out injured, the Portuguese will have to turn to the experienced Hugo Almeida to lead the line up front, however his role could be made easy with the likes of Ronaldo, Nani, Joao Moutinho and Raul Meireles running past him. Spain's defence will surely have a workout.
Yet it's a defence that haven't conceded a goal in the knockout phase of a major international tournament since 2006. They weren't great against France in the Quarter's, but they still made a good side look very average. The Spaniard's have been branded as 'boring' at this tournament, playing with no recognised centre forwards, but instead six midfielders sitting in front of their back four. Cesc Fabregas is likely to lead the line again in the Semi Final, however with Xabi Alonso, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and David Silva playing the passes to him, his job could be made easy.
I think this will be a tight, tense contest. Portugal will want to play with the attacking flair that has served them well throughout the tournament, however they might get bogged down in a midfield battle with the Spaniard's. If they can release Cristiano Ronaldo, they remain a chance, however with Spain looking likely to suffocate their captain's influence, it could be harder than it seems.
Prediction: Portugal 0-1 Spain
Germany v Italy
Despite crushing Greece in the Quarter Final's, I think we can still expect more from Germany. Mario Gomez, Lukas Podolski and Thomas Muller all sat out the last game, and may find it difficult to get their spots back after the performances of Miroslav Klose, Andre Schurrle and Marco Reus in their respective positions. Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira have been dominating midfield battles, while their defence looks solid. Germany seem as effective and efficient as ever, and for me they seem the perfect package to go all the way at this tournament.
The Italian's were brilliant against England. The game should have well and truly been over before the 90 minutes was up, let alone 120 minutes. In the end, they got lucky in the penalty shootout, although it was thoroughly deserved. For me, Andrea Pirlo has been the Player of the Tournament so far. His ability to dictate and control games from midfield has been phenomenal. Whether he can back it up after two hours of solid football is another question. The Italian's will be tired, so they may well rely on the youth of Mario Balotelli up front, however inconsistency remains his major downfall.
I've tipped the German's to go all the way at Euro 2012, so I'll stay true to my prediction, although I think this will be close. It could end up being a battle of two quality midfield's, with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil coming up against Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio and Daniele De Rossi. In the end, though, I think Germany have the more reliable forward line which will prove good enough to win this game.
Prediction: Germany 2-0 Italy
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