Germany coach Joachim Low believes it would be foolish to just single out FIFA player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo as his side prepare to do battle with Portugal in their opening Group G fixture.
Nevertheless Low, who leads Germany for the second time at a World Cup, says the prospects of keeping a lid on the Real Madrid star for a full 90 minutes at the Arena Fonte Nova is a near impossible task.
The 54-year-old will likely deploy former Manchester City defender Jerome Boateng as the man to shadow Ronaldo in midfield after being open about his plans to shackle the forward earlier this week.
Yet in Joao Moutinho, Pepe and Ronaldo's former Manchester United teammate, Nani, Low insists Germany can ill-afford to concentrate solely on one player.
He certainly knows how to beat Portugal – getting the better of them in the last two European Championships – but has labelled them as potential World Cup winners this time round.
"They are ranked just behind us at No.4 (in the world) and they are not just about Ronaldo," he said. "Portugal are an extremely dangerous team.
"You could see Portugal as a finalist, with the likes of Moutinho, Nani and Ronaldo up front, then (Bruno) Alves, Pepe and (Fabio) Coentrao all experienced guys at the back.
"They all play at the highest level and there is no other side in the world who know how to defend while preparing their next attacks the way Portugal do.
"You can't shut (Ronaldo) down completely, he is a player who scores 50 goals a season.
"But we've watched a lot of videos, we know his running patterns, how he likes to lurk behind defenders. It has to be a team effort against him.
"It does play a role who can keep Ronaldo in check, and Jerome Boateng has done that in the past. So too has Lahm so together they will deal with him."
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has been passed fit to face the Iberians in Salvador after recovering from a shoulder injury, while Bastian Schweinsteiger is expected to take his place in the squad.
The Bayern Munich schemer was taken to hospital on Saturday for a check-up on a knee injury he sustained in practice last month.
Ronaldo's knee is of more concern to Portugal, who could play with strapping on his left leg following a diagnosis of patellar tendinitis a fortnight ago
But goalkeeper Eduardo believes that Ronaldo's efforts in training suggest he could well add to his 49 international goals against Germany.
"Cristiano is training well, he's training hard and we are sure he's going to be 100 per cent to help us and to have an excellent game," Eduardo said.
"He's healthy and he can't wait to start this tournament. He's determined and he wants to play to the limit, like all of us, with an immense will to win and give our best.
"You're talking about the best player in the world. It's like the other good players in the other teams that can make a difference."
