Scotland Men's Football Team

Image source, PA Media

Former Scotland international Colin Hendry wouldn't be surprised to see Scott McTominay feature up front at the Euros.

The former defender is confident Steve Clarke's side can score enough goals to progress from the group stage.

"I'm not saying this is going to happen, definitely not, but I wouldn't be averse to seeing Scott McTominay at some stage up alongside Che Adams," Hendry said.

"Adams will probably be the striker to start and McTominay will probably be in close attendance to him, trying to get goals for us.

"If anything happens, Scott McTominay playing 10-15 minutes up there as a striker - he's been a massive player for Man United this season.

"We've got the same problem we had back in my day - we don't score enough goals - but I do think this side can do it."

Craig Telfer, presenter of BBC Scotland's A View From the Terrace, isn't short of optimism as he makes his prediction on how Steve Clarke's side will fare in Group A at the Euros.

Listen to the full episode of the Scottish Football podcast

Image source, PA Media

Billy Gilmour says starting for Scotland in Friday's Euro 2024 opener against Germany would be "the stuff of dreams".

The Brighton midfielder was speaking to the media at Scotland's training camp in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

"We know how Scotland is so passionate, especially about football," Gilmour, 23, said.

"Everyone wants us to do well and for us we want to give everything we've got back to our fans.

"There's a real buzz around the country and I think you can tell that straight away.

"Of course I want to start and play every game possible.

"If I did get the opportunity to walk out at the opening game at the Euros it would be amazing, it's the stuff of dreams really."

Image source, SNS

Motherwell right-back Stephen O'Donnell has revealed that not everyone was happy that he had been picked for Steve Clarke's Scotland squad for the last Euros.

"I remember I'd just had my second child before the tournament," the 32-year-old told the Sacked In The Morning podcast.

"You turn up at the team hotel in Middlesbrough and I am like a kid looking at the pool and things and thinking this isn't too shabby - it's a long way from Lanarkshire. You're absolutely pinching yourself the whole time.

"Well, I was buzzing and I was getting a good night's sleep and the food was incredible. The wife wasn't best pleased and I actually remember like one of her pals is giving her grief for me going - yeah, it's not fair. How's that fair?

"Quite a lot of people don't really understand or respect football. How many times do you hear when you play football - it's not really a job is it?"

Scotland, of course, had qualified for a major tournament for the first time in 23 years - only for Covid to limit the number of fans who could enjoy the experience.

"I think Scotland itself needed a filip of some kind and I think the football brought that," O'Donnell said.

"Football a lot of the time gets bad press for causing problems, but the core of it brings people together and, especially in the highs, it's incredible."

Image source, PA Media

Midfielder Billy Gilmour has been speaking to the media as Scotland prepare for Friday's Euro 2024 opener against Germany.

Here are the key points:

• Scotland want to make this Euros campaign "one to remember" - they're aiming to get out the group, see how far they can progress and put on a good show for the support.

• Acknowledged the competition for places in midfield, says everyone wants to start but knows it's up to the manager.

• Gilmour, who turned 23 on Tuesday, says the past season at Brighton has been "really good" for his development, he's enjoying his football and feels he's progressing well, remarking that he's "no longer a young kid".

• Gilmour hailed the "unbelievable" Toni Kroos and is hoping for the chance to come up against the German midfielder, adding that starting on Friday would be "the stuff of dreams".

Image source, Getty

Germany have drafted in Emre Can to replace Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic two days before their Euro 2024 opener against Scotland.

Pavlovic, 20, is ruled out with tonsillitis having only made his national debut on 3 June during a 0-0 draw with Ukraine.

But he missed Friday's 2-1 win against Greece and has been forced to withdraw from the squad. Former Liverpool midfielder Emre Can, now of Borussia Dortmund, has replaced him.

Read the full story here

Image source, PA Media

Former Scotland hero James McFadden believes Steve Clarke's side can "really shock people" at Euro 2024.

"When it comes to competitive games, I believe this squad will have total belief they can win games and get out of the group," he told the Football Daily podcast.

"I still believe we can go and really shock people, get the results we need and get out of the group. Then, who knows?

"I think the players, the manager, the staff, the people that matter, believe Scotland can go and get results. I think the fans will quickly see that when the games kick off."

Former winger Pat Nevin, meanwhile, insists Scotland "will turn up when they have to" at the Euros after underwhelming warm-up matches against Gibraltar and Finland.

"There's been a bit of negativity hanging about after the friendlies, but we need to draw a line under it," Nevil said.

"Friendlies are friendlies, you just shrug your shoulders and get on. The players know they will turn up when they have to turn up.

"And Steve Clarke believes the group will turn up when he needs them to, so there's a quiet confidence there."

Chris MacLennan
BBC Scotland

Image source, PA Media

It’s a feat not achieved by many. Only 37 before, in fact.

But as Steve Clarke’s side step out on the big stage in Munich, bringing the curtain up on Euro 2024, one man will be hoping to join an illustrious club of players to represent Scotland on 50 occasions.

Inverness-raised Ryan Christie will - if selected by Clarke - become the first from the Highland capital to walk out in the navy blue of the men’s national side on so many occasions.

With his roots forged at his hometown club Inverness Caledonian Thistle, his dad, Charlie, a former player and manager of the club, has spoken to BBC Sport Scotland about his son’s pending achievement.

"It’s something that I never, ever foresaw or predicted, but its tremendous," Christie Snr said.

"I don’t give out plaudits easily – I’m sure Ryan will back me up on that – but I’ll be brimming with pride, as many parents will be. It’s quite surreal to be honest."

Christie Snr says his son's hard work and determination has got him to where he is today.

"There was a stage at Celtic where I thought he might have to leave but he was adamant.

"He said ‘no dad, I want to give it a go. I want to play for Celtic and I think I can be good enough to play for Celtic’.

"I quite admired him at that stage for having that determination and I was delighted when he was proved right."

Image source, SNS

Stephen O'Donnell has "a wee bit more optimism" about Scotland's prospects at Euro 2024 because so many of the squad experienced the last championships along with him.

The Motherwell right-back stressed that, despite "the media up here slaughtering" the Czech Republic side, their team "was not rubbish by any stretch of the imagination".

But O'Donnell admits that Steve Clarke's side, who failed to qualify from their group, lost what was potentially the least difficult of the three games.

"I think we'd have maybe liked to have had that last, because we did learn things about our squad and just as a team playing in tournament football it's different," he said.

O'Donnell pointed out that even getting the simple things like how much table tennis to play during spare time and how much to rest was a learning experience.

"Everybody was learning and what gives us the chance to be more optimistic for this tournament is that the majority of that squad's got that tournament experience, which none of us had," he said.

"These are the things that when you're speaking it gives you a wee bit more optimism for this tournament because you've got they all have that now."

Listen and subscribe to Sacked in the Morning on BBC Sounds

Recalled Scotland midfielder Lewis Morgan says he was only given a 20% chance of returning to his best after hip surgery.

Image source, Getty Images

Former England coach Chris Powell reckons Scotland's improvement under Steve Clarke has much to do with the head coach's "level-headed" demeanor.

"I've never seen him in any other mood other than what you see on TV - it's brilliant," the former Charlton Athletic manager told the Sacked In The Morning podcast.

"I think it's important, especially at international level, where the whole country is watching. It's not a club team, so everyone's engaged in the team.

"And he's just level-headed about it all. I think it's a brilliant way to go.

"It's no surprise that the team has got to where it's got to and where hopefully it's going to, because it's important that any player that comes in, any staff member that comes in, they know exactly where they stand.

"Everyone wants that and you're sort of getting consistency in the games now as well. So it's no surprise to me."

As an example of the calmness exuded by Clarke on the touchline, Motherwell right-back Stephen O'Donnell recalled the head coach's reaction during Scotland's defeat by the Czech Republic at Euro 2020.

"I took a touch out the park, so I expected a bit of stick for that," he said. "I was like, there's a hole in the pitch. I turn around and I'm running back to position and he's right next to me right on the touchline and he just said 'try not to do that again' and laughed.

"Instantly, it kind of just brings you back to, okay, it's not the end of the world. Like you didn't mean it, nobody died, let's go again."

What are Steve Clarke and Gareth Southgate really like? What are their likely starting XIs at Euro 2024 and what will they have learned from Euro 2020?

Former Scotland right back Stephen O’Donnell and former England coach Chris Powell, who also talks about his role on TV's Ted Lasso, are the guests of Amy Irons and Craig Levein as they preview the tournament.

Listen to the first of a two-part Sacked In The Morning podcast here.

Image source, SNS

Kris Boyd is backing Scotland to "cause Germany problems" and earn a positive result in Friday's Euro 2024 opener.

Steve Clarke's side face the tournament hosts in Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena before games against Switzerland and Hungary.

The Scots go into Friday's curtain-raiser as huge underdogs, but Boyd feels the intense pressure the Germans are under could go against them.

The former Scotland striker can see Clarke's men earning a "fantastic" draw, which could be the catalyst for a push towards the tournament's knockout stages.

"It'll be difficult for Scotland, but they'll have the Tartan Army behind them," Boyd told Genting Casinos.

"The opening game of the Euros on home soil, there'll definitely be more anticipation that the Germans will rock up and roll over Scotland.

"Everyone outside of the team will think that, but the squad will be focused on the job at hand.

"We'd much rather play them first than the third game when they may need a result to go through."

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

Image source, Shutterstock

I've seen plenty about how this is a good time to face Germany for Scotland and that they won't have a better opportunity to get the better of the international footballing behemoths.

But where does that confidence stem from? Especially given Julian Nagelsmann has a squad so strong that the likes of Mats Hummels, Emre Can and Serge Gnabry will be watching from the sofa.

Could it be the pressure and expectation they will feel when they open their own tournament with a nation not simply hoping, but expecting its team to win this championship?

Could it be because they may be undercooked given they haven't played a competitive fixture since they exited the World Cup in the groups in Qatar 18 months ago?

It could be because this is a team that doesn't keep many clean sheets these days and hasn't had one in the last three major tournaments.

The Germans also lost six times in 2023, a record for them in a calendar year, and while the left side of defence is a Scottish strength, it's an area the three-time European champions have had trouble with recently to the point Arsenal attacker Kai Havertz has even had a go in the position.

However, they no longer rely on Bayern Munich to produce the core of their squad. Both the invincible Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart finished above the Bavarians in the season just concluded and Nagelsmann has drawn from both sides.

In Florian Wirtz he has someone who has had an incredible 38 goal involvements in 49 appearances for the newly-crowned German champions.

The swansong return of midfielder Toni Kroos has also coincided with three wins in their last four games, which included an away victory in France and against neighbours the Netherlands.

That said, we will only truly know if it's a good time to face Germany come Friday.