Euro 2012 Schedule: Germany Poised for Revenge After 2008 Loss to Spain

The 2012 UEFA Euro Football Championship just got interesting.

Germany is looking to avenge its loss to Spain at the 2008 championship, and that matchup seems like a very real possibility. With wins over the weekend, both Germany and Spain have propelled themselves into the semifinal round. A Spain victory on Wednesday against Portugal (2:45 p.m. ET on ESPN) and a Germany win on Thursday (2:45 p.m. ET on ESPN) will set the stage for the grudge match (2:45 p.m. ET Sunday).

It doesn’t get any better than this.

Opposing Spain will be cross-border rival Portugal. Portugal is a modest 2-2 against Spain in their last four meetings. The last significant bout saw Spain eliminate Portugal in the Round of 16 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup with 1-0 win.

We all know what happened next. Spain went on to win the World Cup, and Portugal went home.

Historically, Spain holds a dominating 17-6-12 series lead over Portugal and are the clear favorites to advance to the Euro final.

Speaking of FIFA 2010, Spain also eliminated Germany in the semifinal round.

The plot thickens.

Germany has all of the motivation in the world to crush Italy and set the stage for an explosive finale to the Euro 2012. They seem primed to overcome the challenge laid before them in the Italy team and to surpass and avenge their recent losses to Spain. Via BBC:

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“If we play to our potential we'll come up winners [against Italy]," Mesut Ozil, a German midfielder said. "Our objective is to bring the trophy back to Germany. That's what we're here for and I'm convinced we can do it."

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How much, if at all, does the thought of exacting revenge on Spain play in the back of the minds of Germany? Grudges aren’t soon forgotten on the huge stage of Euro national football.

If Germany and Spain meet in the final on Sunday, it is sure to be an epic contest and sheer test of will from both of these elite national clubs.

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