Paulo Bento's men go into their opening match of Euro 2012 as slight underdogs, but Alves insists they are ready to spring a surprise over the Germans.

"People may criticise us and say they are better, but we'll be waiting for Saturday to draw our own conclusions," Alves said at a press conference.

"The fact that they say that our defence is weak does not concern us. We have top players in all areas, so whoever gets the nod to play will do well and give their best.

"When we win, we are not the best in the world, and when we lose we are not the worst. We have been working hard to fix our mistakes and improve, so I believe we can do well on Saturday."

Portugal have been drawn in Group B and will face Denmark and Netherlands after their game with Germany.