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BRASILIA, Brazil -- Portugal coach Paulo Bento says he has few concerns about Germany and United States playing out a draw to deny his team progress to the round of 16 at the World Cup. - Curtis: One-man band prepares to leave town Bento's side play Ghana in Brasilia on Thursday while Jurgen Klinsmann faces his former team and one-time assistant Joachim Low in Recife. Portugal must beat their African opponents and hope there is a winner in the other Group G game, while still then needing a significant goal-difference swing to take them through. "I'm not afraid of the other game, that there's an agreement for a draw," said Bento in his prematch news conference at the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha. "In football you have respect and dignity, confidence and nothing else. "We have a match, United States and Germany have a match too, we can just play our match and that's what we'll try and do. My history is a respect to others and I'd like others to respect me. The world would be great if we respected each other in life." Bento faced questions over whether an exit from the competition at this stage would lead him to walk away from the national team job or be sacked. Portugal needed a playoff victory over Sweden to make Brazil, which bought Bento a stay of execution, but he said on Wednesday that he plans to stay on despite Thursday's result. "I've repeated many times the situation, it's very peaceful, the trust from the federation, from the staff and president, and this goes way back," he said. "It's not trust built just now, even before the match in Sweden. They'd never fail to trust me and they aren't failing to trust me now. "But in terms of results, I'm the only person responsible for this. We'll sit down when the right time comes. In April there was an agreement with the association that wasn't about the results at the World Cup but our objectives for [Euro] 2016. I'm not going to resign from my job as a coach, it's not my intention or intention of the federation." Alongside him in Brasilia was defender Pepe, who may be restored to the team after serving a one-match ban for a confrontation with Germany's Thomas Muller as Portugal lost their opening match 4-0. "I am sad because I put my colleagues in a hard situation in an important match," said an apologetic Pepe. "But there is still hope for us and we'll try and embrace this chance to be able to qualify for the next phase. It's not me that'll select the lineup, I'll just train now and do my best." "I think it's possible for us," he added on the subject of Portugal qualifying. "We know it's difficult but we have to struggle. We will fight until the end." Pepe has been the subject of stinging criticism, including from Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who last week said that he would not even have had Pepe in the team, as he is a naturalised Brazilian. The Real Madrid defender, though, reasserted his devotion to Portugal's cause. "For me, every match with the Portuguese team is a special match, this is why I'm here, for them," he said. "I'll always be thankful to Portugal because everything I have was given to me by the Portuguese. My wife, my daughters, they are Portuguese." Like Bento, Pepe said he had no plans to walk away from the national team after the World Cup. "I'm not going to give up on this team, send a resignation letter like some Portuguese players have done," he said. "When the coach thinks I no longer have the skills to contribute to the team, that's a discussion that will happen, then we'll see. "But I'm preparing for the end of my career, but when the time comes I'll be prepared to leave the Portuguese team and leave with my head up." Bento chose not to respond to questions on reports concerning a potential mutiny over pay within the Ghana camp. The reports suggested that the Ghanaian players did not even train on Tuesday. "I think the most important thing is to decide what our motivation is and it has to be very high," he said. "Just the principle of defending the national team and it possibly being the last match, the motivation has to be that."
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