Portugal striker Goncalo Paciencia (#9). (Photo : Getty Images)
A high-profile 2016 Rio Summer Olympics men's football tournament quarterfinal match between two evenly-matched powerhouse squads Portugal and Germany is scheduled on August 13, Saturday at the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha in Brazil's capital city of Brasília.
Portugal topped Group D with two wins a draw after beating rivals Argentina, 2-0, in the opening round then nipping Honduras, 2-1, in the next matchday.
Their final group stage match was a no-bearing one as head coach Rui Jorge's squad has already advanced in the quarters after the second round of competitions. The said fixture ended in a 1-1 draw with Algeria at the Mineirão in Belo Horizonte last Wednesday, as per SB Nation.
Portuguese striker Goncalo Paciencia scored his third goal in as many games for Selecção Olímpica with a spot kick at the 25th minute, which was immediately equalized by Algerian forward Mohamed Benkablia five minutes later off an assist by teammate Abdelkader Meziane-Bentahar.
The Foxes went for the winner late in the match but Portugal's defense held on to stay undefeated so far in the Games. Algeria would not qualify even if they pulled off the win, though, as they must prevail against the Portuguese by at least three points to move on to the next round.
Meanwhile, Germany toyed lowly Fiji, 10-0, in their final Group C game held also at the Mineirão on Wednesday, Metro reported.
Striker Nils Petersen netted five goals, attacking midfielder Max Meyer unleashed a hat trick, while winger Serge Gnabry scored a brace en route to the 10-goal haul of head coach Horst Hrubesch's side.
Although the Bula Boys did not actually provide much resistance to score those goals, the Germans were still able to gather enough momentum from the lopsided win to bring against a tough Portuguese side in the quarters.
The game is expected to be close between Portugal and Germany, but coach Jorge's boys are favored to prevail by the slightest of margins. The match could also be decided by a penalty shootout.
The predicted result is a close 1-0 victory for Portugal.
Portugal starting lineup (4-4-1-1 formation): Varela; Esgaio, Ie, Ilori, Henrique; Silva, Podstawski, Ramos, Mané; Pité; Paciencia
Germany starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Horn; Toljan, S. Bender, Sule, Klostermann; L. Bender, Christiansen; Brandt, Meyer, Gnabry; Petersen
