'They should toss a drachma to start the match!' Battle of the Bailout looms as Germany takes on Greece in Euro 2012 (with Merkel watching from the stands)

'They should toss a drachma to start the match!' Battle of the Bailout looms as Germany takes on Greece in Euro 2012 (with Merkel watching from the stands)

Europe's economic engine against nation many say it's wants to crush
Germany wants huge budget cuts from Greece in return for bailout cash
Angela Merkel, dubbed a 'Nazi' by Greek media, will watch from the stands


Germany tonight takes on Greece in a bitter Euro 2012 quarter-final grudge match dubbed the Battle of the Bailout.

Europe's economic engine room will be pitted against the nation many say it is trying to crush, by demanding huge budget cuts in exchange for rescue cash.



And watching from the Gdansk stands will be German chancellor Angela Merkel - a hate figure regularly ridiculed by Greek media as a 'Nazi' trying to re-take control of their country.

Good luck boys: German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be watching her country's football team in action against Greece today

Carnival: Greek fans gathering in the Old Town of Gdansk in Poland where their team takes on Germany


It refers to Greece's occupation by Adolf Hitler's army from 1941 to 1945, for which some victims' families are still trying to claim $100billion from Berlin in reparations.


As would be expected, both sets of national media have spent the last week ramping up the tensions between the three-time champions and the surprise 2004 winners.

Greece's Live newspaper quipped: 'The referee should give Merkel a fright and toss a drachma coin at the beginning of the match.'





Meanwhile, Gata sports newspaper joked: 'The first measure that our new government has to push through on the urging of Merkel: we have to lose against Germany on Friday.'

The German press has also drawn on the eurozone crisis.

Bild newspaper said on Tuesday: 'Be happy dear Greeks, the defeat on Friday is a gift. Against Jogi Loew, no rescue fund will help you.'


Colourful: Greek fans getting ready for tonight's match against Germany, billed as the Battle of the Bailout




Nazi! German chancellor Angela Merkel has been depicted as Hitler henchman in Greek newspaper Democracy





Attack: A street poster in Greece has depicted Angela Merkel in a Nazi uniform with a swastika surrounded by the EU stars. The accompanying words describe her as a 'public nuisance'

And Berliner Kurier printed a cartoon of a government spokesman telling German press: 'Our stance on you remaining in the eurozone depends entirely upon how the match goes.'

Twitter has predictably also been swamped with jokes and comments about the match.



@AndrewSimms_nef wrote: 'Its Germany vs Greece in the Euro quarter finals. Odds-on Germany to impose penalties, at least Greece can grow their own half-time oranges.'

@iainmartin1 said: 'Presumably for Germany v Greece the German manager will be able to pick the Greek team and impose tactics?'

And @bill_easterly added: 'Greece at halftime of Euro match asks Germany for emergency loan of 4 players.'

Another added worry for Greece is that Merkel has a reputation as something of a lucky charm for her country's football team.

Merkel attended Germany's 4-0 win over Argentina at the 2010 World Cup and saw them beat Turkey in Berlin in the most important Euro 2012 qualifier for her team.

Already this year she's been to visit the player in the dressing room and at their base prior to the tournament's big kick-off. 'She seems to bring us luck,' midfielder Sami Khedira said.

The match will be played in Gdansk, near the scene of the first battle of World War II as Nazi Germany invaded Poland.




Scrawled: Graffiti on the Bank of Greece's HQ in Athens calls it the Bank of Berlin, in reference to the belief that Germany is now in control of the country

A German football federation delegation laid a wreath at a memorial for Polish defenders at the Westerplatte peninsula on the outskirts of the Baltic city.

Germany has two Poland-born players in their squad, Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski, and local fans could throw their support behind them.

By winning their group, Germany got to stay in Gdansk and will be spared the stress of travel.

Germany are the only team to have won all three group games and go into the quarter-finals as the overwhelming favorites.

But Greece is undeterred as midfielder Costas Katsouranis said: 'We are playing for our shirt, our flag and for the people back home.'

And striker Dimitris Salpigidis said: 'I don't think anyone on the team believes this will be our last game at this tournament.

'People have so many problems in their everyday lives. We're really hoping that we can put a smile on their face.'

Greece has, also, plenty of reason to be thankful to Germany, as it was German Otto Rehhagel who led them to glory eight years ago.

Greece will be missing suspended playmaker and captain Giorgos Karagounis, but defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos, one of the many players with Bundesliga experience, said the team had nothing to lose.

We are playing against one of the best teams here,' Papadopoulos said. 'All I can say is that we'll fight. If we get the win, that would be a huge result.'

For the Germans, there is speculation manager Joachim Low may reshuffle his line-up to incorporate Klose, despite the scoring exploits of Mario Gomez, who has decided matches against Portugal and Holland.

The 34-year-old Klose scored the last time the two sides met, in a World Cup qualifying match in 2001, one of five wins Germany have enjoyed in their eight meetings with Greece.

'We are not too bothered about statistics,' Salpigidis said. 'Whether it's the first ever win against Germany, that doesn't really matter.'


Satirical: Cartoons appearing in Greek newspapers have drawn comparisons with the Nazis