How they got there: Portugal finished second behind Poland in their qualifying group. Big Phil's side barely seemed to break sweat en route, with only the 4-0 thrashing of Belgium a scoreline of note.
Coach - Luiz Felipe Scolari: This fiery Brazilian tempers his young, exuberent side with cool technical genius and clever man management. Masterminded Brazil's successful 2002 World Cup campaign and was so nearly courted by the FA for the England job. Only we got Steve McClaren instead.
Star player - Cristiano Ronaldo: Although he's dominated football for what feels like forever, the world's best player is still only 23. Fast, clever and versatile, Ronaldo arrives off the back of a bumper season at Manchester United and in top form. Could well be the player of the tournament.
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Tactics: Scolari uses a 4-2-3-1 system, with Carvalho the bedrock of the defence. Veloso and Maniche sit in front of the back four, bolstering the impish Quaresma, Deco, and, of course, Ronaldo. Scolari’s likely to plump for Hugo Almeida as pointman.
Strengths: Packed with explosive pace and 360-degree vision and talent, with a manager that's as good as it gets.
Weaknesses: If teams can close down the wings and stifle the creative midfield then mistakes and tempers will flare.
Verdict: The semis at least.
If they were a band they would be:Prince and the New Generation
Helpful translation - "Socorro! Fiquei sem gel de cabelo!" is "Help! I've run out of hair gel!."
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