Euro 2024 draw: Who do Scotland fans want to face in Germany next summer?
- Published
Might Scotland and England meet again at Euro 2024?
It is no longer a novelty, but the draw for Scotland's second successive participation at a European Championship finals is as eagerly awaited as any before.
Perhaps especially so this time given the way Steve Clarke's side cruised to qualification and thus heightened expectations before next year's Euro 2024 tournament in Germany.
But who do you hope Scotland are paired with, or avoid, when the balls come out of the hat - or whatever they call those plastic bowls they use these days - at 17:00 GMT on Saturday?
Yes, we want to hear your views. More of that later, but first, let's remind ourselves how Scotland got there and who lies in wait in June.
No need for backdoor entry
Clarke's side all but secured their place in the finals by kicking off qualifying Group A with a run of five consecutive victories, including a famous 2-0 defeat of top seeds Spain at Hampden Park.
They followed that sensational start with a loss in Seville and two draws, plus friendly defeats by England and France, to finish as group runners-up, but the hardest work had already been done.
There was no need this time to rely on the backdoor route of a Nations League play-off, as had been the case back in 2020 with that famous penalty shoot-out victory away to Serbia as the Scots ended a 22-year wait to qualify for another major championship finals.
As with the tournament delayed to 2021 following the pandemic, the top two in each of next summer's six groups will proceed to the round of 16 along with the four best third-placed finishers.
Never mind reaching the final at Berlin's Olympiastadion on Sunday, 14 July, though - the Tartan Army will simply be targeting doing better than last time, when the team finished bottom of their group despite an admirable draw with England at Wembley and playing the other two matches on home turf at Hampden.
The chances of reaching the knock-out stages of a major tournament for the first time will certainly be affected by the luck of the draw at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.
Going potty in Hamburg
Scotland, currently ranked 34th in the world and 19th in Europe, will find themselves in Pot 3 on Saturday.
Normally, avoiding the bottom pot would be cause of celebration. Not really this time though.
Defending champions Italy, Switzerland and Serbia - all of whom are higher in the world rankings than the Scots - find themselves in among those supposedly easier opponents.
Alternatively, Scotland could be drawn against one of three winners from the March play-offs.
Among the most dangerous possibilities from the 12 teams involved in that are Wales, Poland, Greece, Ukraine (who ended the Scots' last World Cup qualifying hopes before Clarke's side gained Nations League revenge) and group-stage opponents Georgia, who gave them a tough game before drawing 2-2 in Tbilisi recently.
Clarke's side will avoid a couple of higher-ranked sides in the shape of Netherlands and Croatia, who are also in Pot 3 along with the Scots, Slovenia, Slovakia and Czech Republic.
Indeed, it could be argued that it is a stronger pot than the one above, from which the Scots can draw higher-ranked Hungary, Denmark or Austria - or Albania, Romania or Turkey.
Then there's Pot 1, where lurk five of the world's top-eight teams - France, England, Portugal, Belgium and Spain.
Germany are the odd ones out, but given vociferous home backing, the side inherited by new head coach Julian Nagelsmann will be more dangerous than their unprecedented drop to 16th in the rankings suggests.
What odds England, Scotland, Wales and AN Other? Meanwhile, France, Denmark and Italy might be the nightmare scenario based on current rankings.
Who would you like Clarke's side to be drawn against on Saturday and who would you like to avoid? Tell us below...
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