Ghana midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has admitted that Portugal will be tough nuts to crack at the 2014 World Cup.

The Schalke midfielder noted that A Selecao are strong up front with the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who can change a game at any given time.

The Black Stars have a last group date with Portugal in Brazil but will face off with US and Germany prior to that encounter.

Boateng also conceded that “the group is very strong. If Cristiano Ronaldo is fit, it will be very hard to beat Portugal. Germany, Ghana and the USA will have to fight for the other points.”

Speaking to a section of the media in Germany, the former AC Milan star added: “These are 90 minutes of football, nobody needs to be afraid. The German team has extraordinary qualities; they have individual players that can decide a single game by themselves. I think the only one you really need to look out for is Marco Reus."

The German-born Ghanaian international stated that he prefers to be given a free role on the field because that makes him very useful to the team.

"I hope behind the forwards. I believe that's where the coach sees me. We have two strong defensive midfielders with [Michael ] Essien and [Sulley] Muntari. I hope I can play on my favourite position where I can act freely,” the 27-year-old opined.

He also tipped the World Cup hosts as favourites since they have a home advantage.

“Brazil, they play at home and have an extraordinary team. Spain is on top clearly. It would be a nice final,” Boateng added.