Greeks were hoping against hope that their national soccer team would triumph over mighty Germany in the Euro 2012 championship, restoring lost pride to the debt-stricken country by getting one over its economic paymaster.

Friday night's quarterfinal fixture, in the Polish port of Gdansk, pits two nations against each other whose ties have rarely been so sour, so bristling.

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Greece fans are seeking respect for their country after its humiliating economic collapse and Germany’s predominant role in lending bailout money – along with strict austerity measures. 

"It's not good that sports and politics are together, but today we have no other choice," said Greece fan Michalis Kalotrapesis, wearing a white national team shirt and training top. "We are playing for our country and for our image in Europe and all over the world." 

Germany will be cheered on at the game by Chancellor Angela Merkel, a hated figure in Greece, who for many personifies the painful bailout conditions and the euro zone's strict approach to the debt-strapped state.

Merkel loves football and loves the German team. Earlier in the tournament, she went to visit their training base. She attends high-profile matches and was once photographed with bare-chested midfielder Mesut Ozil in the changing room.

'Bye-bye Greeks'
A crunch meeting between Merkel and other European leaders in Rome on Friday was moved up to an earlier start time so that she could attend the game.

"Bye-bye Greeks, we can't rescue you today!" Germany's top-selling Bild proclaimed on its front page on Friday in the colors of the Greek flag.

"Bankrupt THEM," blared leading Greek paper Sport Day.

Even the respected Greek daily Kathimerini drummed home to Greeks that this match is against a foe popularly blamed for saddling Greece with a punitive austerity program, chronic unemployment and years of deep economic recession.

"Whoever thinks today's match is just a game is wrong," the paper wrote, vowing it was "politics (maybe even war) by other means."

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"To many Greeks, victory will represent the triumph of the weak against the wealth, might and arrogance of the powerful -- the victim would humble his executioner… If the Germans win, they'll see it as confirmation of their diligence, strategy, talent and thrift," it added.

Some German car manufacturers, like Volkswagen and Daimler, are making special arrangements that will allow their workforce on shift to watch the match.

Greece has never beaten Germany
Officials from Volkswagen told NBC News that employees will be able to leave early on Friday, but that workers will have to make up for the free time at a later point.

Greece have never beaten Germany but now would be the ideal time to do so in order to cheer up the public back home and give them hope that Greece can repeat their amazing run to the European Championship crown in 2004.

The chances are slim to say the least. The Germans, among the favorites to take the tournament title, go into the match on the back of 14 consecutive competitive victories stretching back to the 2010 World Cup.

For Germany, playing in Gdansk, which prior to World War Two was the German- and Polish-inhabited free city of Danzig, will feel like a home game.

Thirty thousand Germans are expected to travel to watch the game. Only 6,000 Greek supporters are expected. Most Poles say their hearts beat for the underdog.

Back in Athens, not everyone was drawn into the spirit.

"I couldn't care less," Said Panagiotis Pappas, 22, a chemistry student. "We're on the brink of disaster and all they care is about is football for Christ's sake." 

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Europe's biggest soccer tournament is being overshadowed by a boycott by Western European officials over alleged human rights abuses, and by widespread concerns about racist taunts by home crowds in Ukraine and Poland, co-hosts of the event.

On Friday, just hours before the first game of the Euro 2012 tournament, European soccer governing body UEFA said in a statement that it had been informed of "isolated incidents of racist chanting" at the Netherlands team training session earlier in the week, further tarnishing the tournament.

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Dutch players heard monkey chants from some people among a crowd of 25,000 at a training session at Wisla Krakow's stadium in Poland on Wednesday, a spokesman for the Netherlands team said.

ProSoccerTalk: The teams competing in the European Championships

The training session came only hours after the team -- for decades a reflection of the multicultural makeup of the nation -- had made solemn and emotional visits to the former Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps close to Krakow. 

"Some players did hear some monkey noises. That is why they moved to the other side of the pitch," the team spokeswoman said Friday.

A recent British television documentary, entitled "Stadiums of Hate," fueled concerns about fans' behavior at club matches. The program was shown in Poland earlier this week and the issue dominated questions at the first news conference of UEFA President Michel Platini at the tournament.

Platini promised that referees will stop matches if players suffer racist abuse. But he also warned players they would be shown a yellow card if they acted alone by walking off the field.

Euro 2012 scoreboard

"UEFA has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to discriminatory behavior and has given the power to referees to stop matches in case of any repeated racist behavior," UEFA said Friday. 

Concerns over 'rule of law' in Ukraine
The controversy over racism during the tournament came as the U.K. joined a growing boycott by Western European officials over the jailing of leading Ukrainian opposition figure Yulia Tymoshenko, which many believe was politically motivated.

The British Foreign Office confirmed to msnbc.com on Friday that there would be no official British presence at England's three group-stage games, making it the latest in a string of countries to say it would not attend the tournament in protest of Ukraine's treatment of Tymoshenko.

"No ministers will be attending group games at Euro 2012. We are keeping attendance at later stages of the tournament under review in the light of ministers' busy schedules ahead of the Olympics and widespread concerns about selective justice and the rule of law in Ukraine," a Foreign Office spokesman said.

Several other European nations have already announced they will not be sending official representatives to the games, including France and Germany, which both also cited Ukraine's treatment of Tymoshenko.

Tymoshenko is serving a seven-year jail term on charges of abuse of office, condemned as politically motivated by the West. Allegations she was beaten by prison officials prompted top EU officials to announce a boycott of championship games hosted in Ukraine.

President Viktor Yanukovich still hopes the tournament will show the world how far Ukraine has come since it broke free of the Soviet Union in 1991 but the risk of it backfiring after a deluge of bad publicity is increasing. 

ProSoccerTalk: Racism, politics at Euro 2012; problems that won't go away

"Europe 2012 has provided a unique opportunity to present our country to the world and to achieve European standards, not only in organizing the tournament but in the life of our citizens," said Deputy Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov.

"If Ukraine does not cope well with the organization of the tournament and show it's a hospitable host, it will reflect on its reputation," said Kolesnikov, who was in charge of preparations for the finals.

The month-long tournament was starting in Poland on Friday and the final will be held in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, on July 1. 

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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