Scotland Men's Football Team

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Defender Grant Hanley says "added nerves" can't excuse Scotland's abysmal performance in the 5-1 defeat by Germany.

Hanley was a half-time substitute for Che Adams after Ryan Porteous was shown a red card for a two-footed challenge on Ilkay Gundogan just before the break in Friday's Euro 2024 opener.

"These games are huge, a big occasion and everyone wants to play on those types of nights," said Hanley.

"So obviously there is a bit of added nerves in the atmosphere around the game.

"But I don’t think that’s something we can use as an excuse as to why we didn’t perform like we wanted to on Friday."

Hanley insists Scotland must "get back to basics" against Switzerland on Wednesday to revive their hopes of progress from Group A.

"You have periods where performances and results go well, particularly if we add a defensive point of view where you are not conceding goals, and the answer for us is to get back to basics and really concentrate on where and why we had success before," he added.

"This is a group [of players] that's been together for quite a while now.

"We've had our ups and downs together, we've shown before we can bounce back from negative results.

"We've put the result behind us, we're looking forward, it will be a difficult match on Wednesday.

"Switzerland are a good side with good players. The focus is mainly on ourselves.

"We have a massive opportunity to be successful again. With hard work we will make sure we prepare and give our all again."

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator in Germany

Scotland’s nightmarish start to this European Championship set several unwanted records.

It was Scotland's heaviest defeat at a major finals since the 7-0 defeat to Uruguay at the World Cup in 1954 in the Swiss city of Basel.

It was the biggest defeat in the opening game in European Championship history and Scotland’s worst since the infamous Euro 2004 play-off second leg in Amsterdam.

Steve Clarke's side now have just one win - against a dreadful Gibraltar - in 10, with a whopping 26 goals conceded in that run.

The weather hasn’t exactly been on the Tartan Army’s side either with the rain following them north to Cologne.

Although all is not lost, Wednesday’s second group match against Switzerland is in must-not-lose territory.

Three points will unlikely be enough for the Scots given they are already in arrears of four on the goal difference, meaning a minimum of four will be required to create the right kind of history and get out of this section.

The Swiss can seal their passage to the last 16 before they even get a look at the Germans, who ran Scotland ragged on match-day one, and that will make them extremely dangerous.

Hungary couldn’t live with Switzerland's first-half performance on Saturday and if they hit that sort of form on Wednesday, Steve Clarke’s men could be in trouble again.

Former Switzerland and Celtic defender Ramon Vega says the Tartan Army could play a big part for Scotland against his home nation.

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Worried by how good Switzerland looked against Hungary? Fear not.

Swiss football journalist Lucas Werder has, sort of, explained how Scotland can win on Wednesday.

Werder told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast: "I think one of the weaknesses of Switzerland and maybe the biggest chance for Scotland is if they are patient and if they can hold the clean sheet, there will be 15 or 20 minutes where Switzerland are a little bit less active.

"Like we saw in the game against Hungary, it's in every game Switzerland plays. They have some minutes where they are not that offensive pushing. If Switzerland are a little bit passive, then Scotland have to take their chances.

"There won't be a lot of chances for Scotland, but in qualification [Switzerland] always conceded some goals. In the game against Romania, Romania had like one or two chances and they scored from every one."

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Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell and former Falkirk midfielder Stephen McGinn, brother of John, have been discussing whether Scotland should think about changing formation for the crucial Switzerland game on Wednesday.

"I would be tempted to go to a back four, but I don't think Steve Clarke will," McGinn told BBC Sportsound.

"He had a look at the back four in the friendly last week. So it's in his mind and an option for him.

"I'd be tempted to play Lawrence Shankland, and with the back four and five midfielders in front you can get bodies closer to him. Because if you're playing Shankland you need to get players round him."

Kettlewell, though, thinks Clarke should stick with the back three.

"I've always been a huge believer in sticking to what you believe in and what you've worked towards," he said.

"If you start changing to a four just now you're ripping up the script completely.

"There needs to be tweaks and changes to the team. I would look to go with [Scott] McTominay and McGinn supporting the main striker, and the obvious change at centre-back [Ryan Porteous is suspended].

"I don't think they'll perform anywhere near where they did on Friday night. I think they'll perform better.

"It's just whether you get that save, or break of the ball, or early opportunity to get the crowd going and build belief. They've been doubted before, and always responded well.

"I've no reason to believe they won't do that on Wednesday."

You can pick your Scotland team to face Switzerland here.

Scotland's former Celtic defender Kieran Tierney, 27, is one of four players Arsenal are offering in a potential swap deal for Everton midfieler Amadou Onana, 22. (Express via TeamTalk, external)

Being left out of Scotland's Euro 2024 squad was "really tough" on goalkeeper Craig Gordon, 41, says his Hearts head coach Steven Naismith. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external

Read Monday's Scottish gossip

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland in Cologne

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Granit Xhaka says Switzerland will need to be even more on their toes against Scotland on Wednesday now that Steve Clarke will be looking for a response from his side following their opening Euro 2024 group hammering by Germany.

Captain Xhaka was man of the match as his own side got off to a winning start by beating Hungary 3-1 on Saturday.

"From our side, I hope that they don’t react too much," the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder said. "I mean, everyone knows the quality they have - big players in big teams, always playing every week.

"In my opinion, the first game is always something different, something special. Of course, to play against Germany in the tournament where we are at the moment – and in Munich – it was maybe different for them, but we know the quality the Scottish team has.

"We need to be much more ready than we were [against Hungary] because the pressure is, I think, on our side, even though we already have three points.

"I’m sure we will be ready for the Scottish team and hopefully everyone can see a good game."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland in Cologne

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Switzerland have been forced into an unexpected change to their preparations for Wednesday's Euro 2024 group game against Scotland - because of the state of their training pitch.

Bundesliga club Stuttgart have come to their rescue to provide temporary facilities while governing body Uefa rectifies the problem.

The Swiss FA explained: "The pitch in our training stadium at the Waldau will be replaced by Uefa.

"The roots of the grass have died in several places. Therefore, we will train tomorrow and Tuesday on the VFB Stuttgart training pitch, at Robert-Schlienz-Stadion, which is in good condition.

"Following the Scotland game, it is planned to train on the new pitch at the Stadion auf der Waldau. However, the condition of the new grass needs to be checked on Thursday."

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Scotland head coach Steve Clarke chose to sit in the hot seat for the team's daily media conference in the aftermath of Friday's 5-1 defeat by Germany.

Here are the key points:

• Clarke said he may have given the players "too much information" which may have "clouded" their thinking in Munich

• However, the Scotland boss added the squad took the "wrong" interpretation of his instructions and he has had conversations with players about what went wrong

• Clarke insisted Scotland can still get out of Group A but that the "little advantage" of a solid goal difference has gone, meaning they need four points form games against Switzerland and Hungary

• There is "no danger" of Scotland lacking belief and the players know they need to "put it right" in Cologne against the Swiss

• People should not be "too hard" on Ryan Porteous after his red card

To read more from Clarke scroll down.

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Scotland head coach Steve Clarke was asked by a Swiss journalist what he made of the Switzerland team, who beat Hungary 3-1 on Saturday.

"Very good," Clarke said. "If you go back to the qualifying campaign, it was a bit of a struggle for the Swiss.

"They probably didn't play as well as they can.

"People always look at the Swiss and think they are a smaller footballing nation, but they are always there at the major tournaments.

"So when it comes to tournament football, a little like Germany, they were on it - the same with the Swiss team.

"They know how to survive in tournaments and they are a nation we have to learn from."

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke: "There are no excuses when you lose a game 5-1. You have to take all the criticism that comes, you have to respond.

"The good thing for me is that we've been in this position before, I've always responded pretty well, this group of players have always responded well. So that's what we try to do."

On any comparisons to be drawn between the second game of these EUROs and the previous iteration, he adds: "We had to go to the second game at the last Euros with a similar idea.

"We still had an outside chance with the goal difference. This time, that little safety net is gone.

"We know that, so we have to get four points in the next two games."