Reus happy with favourites tag

Germany forward Marco Reus says Italy and England have made a strong impression at Euro 2012, but insists his teams are favourites.

The Italians were undefeated as they finished runners-up behind Spain in Group C, while England topped Group D.

And at a press conference on Saturday, Reus was full of praise for the two sides Germany could face in the semi-finals.

“Italy are a surprise for me,” he told reporters. “They play very forward-minded football, they’ve made many goal-scoring chances.

“If you look at England, I think they’ve stepped up. They’ve exceeded everyone’s expectations. Wayne Rooney is a tremendously important figure.”

However, Reus remained convinced that Germany have more than enough quality to progress past either side to the final.

He added: “I still think we have the better players, both individually and as the team. And I think that we are the team to beat.”

Germany advanced to the semi-final on Friday, following a 4-2 win against Greece.

When asked which side he would rather meet in the semi-final, Reus said he had no preference.

“We know we’re a strong side, and we’re going to watch the other quarter-finals calmly and take things as they come,” Reus said.

“If we play our best football, any team will have a hard time.”