Euro 2012 Qualifying, Group H Preview, Picks: The New Look Portugal

Portugal gained only one point from their first two matches in qualifying, drawing Cyprus in a 4-4 thriller and losing 1-0 to Norway thanks to an absolute howler by Eduardo. As a result, Carlos Quieroz was sacked and a new era has been ushered in with Paulo Bento. The former Portuguese international started managing Lisbon club Sporting CP in 2005 and achieved moderate success. After the disastrous reign of Quieroz, it's hard to believe that he won't be better.

His first match is a tough one against a talented and organized Denmark team. A lot of the older stars that led the team to the World Cup are no longer with the side as long time Head Coach Morten Olsen attempts to bring younger players into the side.

Norway are a decent side, but a two win start to their qualifying campaign was certainly a surprise. Veterans John Arne Riise, John Carew, Brede Hangeland, and Morten Gamst Pederson lead the way, but newcomers right winger Erik Huseklepp and striker Mohammed Abdellaoue have been impressive. Many people are also speculating that this match could be the debut of 18 year old starlet Markus Henriksen, a central midfielder who has been an absolute star for his hometown club Rosenborg this season. Cyprus are a solid side who are not to be underestimated, but their talent deficiency might be a little bit too much to overcome. Then again, every player in their team plays domestically, so unless the Cypriot league or the early stages of Champions League and Europa League are your thing, you probably have only seen these players when they play in big games internationally. Maybe they have something in the bag we haven't seen yet.

So, what will Paulo Bento do? Reports suggest that he's looking at employing a 4-3-3 setup with Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani flanking Hugo Almeida. Seems logical enough. Denmark may be a largely inexperienced side, but the experienced players that are in the team are absolute rocks and Morten Olsen has proven over ten years on the job that his Denmark squads are difficult to break down. It remains to be seen if Raul Meireles and Tiago have the creativity to get the job done. For Denmark, their difficulty will be scoring goals. With Nicklas Bendtner injured, Jon Dahl Tomasson retired, and Soren Larsen out of form and favor, they are thin up top. Against Iceland, 22 year old Nicklas Pedersen was the man called upon, and he struggled. It will be interesting to see what Olsen does to try to get his team a goal.