Winning is all that counts for Portugal when they take on Denmark in Copenhagen on Tuesday night, according to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo will lead his men out at the Parken Stadion knowing adraw will be enough to take them to Poland and Ukraine for next summer'sEuropean Championships.
Paulo Bento's side currently lead Group H by virtue of their home win over the Danes earlier in the campaign, so a point in Copenhagen will see them avoid next month's play-offs.
Norway, three points shy of the duo, could make things even more complex should they inflict a heavy defeaton Cyprus - but only if Portugal lose to Denmark. Norway would still require a goal difference swing of nine goals to finish second.
Ronaldo is looking to forget playing for a draw to earn a place in the finals - get a win.
"Portugal are going to Denmark to win the game, that's our thinking,'' he told Spanish newspaper AS. "We know there are conditions but we want to win the tie for direct entry (to Euro 2012).
"That is always the mentality of the team and I am sure we will make it a good match.''
Ronaldo did not score any of Portugal's five goals as they beat Iceland 5-3 on Friday proving their attack is working well heading to Denmark. Their defence is not polished at the moment, though, and Ronaldo believes the absence of club team-mates Pepe and Fabio Coentrao is a contributing factor, as well as the self-imposed exile of Ricardo Carvalho.
"We very much need Pepe,'' the 26-year-old added. "But those who are here now are the most important. We can talk about Pepe, but Ricardo Carvalho did not come to Portugal.''
The first qualifying fixture between the two ended in a 3-1 win for Portugal, but Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen believes a sound historical record could stand his side in good stead.
They avoided defeat in their three meetings prior to that Lisbon reverse, and Eriksen told UEFA.com: "It would be better to avoid the play-offs, but we can only avoid them by getting a win. We've done well against Portugal before, though.''
While Norway have a mathematical chance of making it into second spot, manager Egil Olsen has accepted his side will not be boarding the plane next summer.
"It's possible to say I'm disappointed, but I wasn't exactly optimistic beforehand,'' the former Wimbledon manager told Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten.
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