Scotland Men's Football Team

Image source, PA Media

Scotland's Scott McKenna is expecting a "completely different atmosphere" at Euro 2024 in comparison to the last finals that nation qualified for.

When the Scots competed in Euro 2020, delayed to 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic, attendances were restricted.

Two of Scotland's group fixtures were at Hampden, defeats to the Czech Republic and Croatia, with the other a draw against England at Wembley.

This time around, Steve Clarke's side will experience the full tournament experience when they open the finals against hosts Germany on Friday before matches against Switzerland and Hungary.

The Tartan Army are expected to travel in huge numbers, with suggestions up to 200,000 Scots could make the trip.

"It will be very different, last time was through Covid the stadiums weren't full," centre-back McKenna said.

"At the last Euros we weren't able to get as many fans in the stadium as we would have liked, so it's a great opportunity for them to come and experience a tournament on foreign soil for the first time in a long time.

"I think the Tartan Army will be very excited, they're travelling in their numbers and I hope we can put in a performance they can be proud of and celebrate as well.

"The ambition is to try and get out of the group, but the only way we can do that is to take it one game at a time. This week we are only focused on Germany."

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Scotland centre-back Scott McKenna has been speaking to the media as they continue their training camp in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Steve Clarke's side take on Germany in the opening game on Friday - here are they key points from the press conference:

• The squad are excited about Friday's opener but McKenna acknowledges the nerves will kick in soon enough, he stressed they'll be ready by the time the first whistle blows in Munich.

• With a bigger squad, McKenna says there's more competition for places and everyone is working to be selected for the match.

• The Scots are aiming to progress from the group stage but McKenna insists full focus is on the game against Germany.

• Clarke's men are hoping to put on a show for the travelling support and give them "something to cheer about" after most fans were unable to attend Euro 2020 because of Covid-19 restrictions.

• On a personal note, McKenna is hoping his experience will come in handy if he gets the nod to start on Friday.

Joe Hart
BBC Sport pundit

As well as England, I'll be watching Scotland closely because of my old team-mates from Celtic who are in their team. How Scotland do doesn't bother me, but I want my pals to do well.

I've got personal connections with players from lots of other teams at these Euros too, and it's the same for all of them. Ultimately they are my friends and I want what is best for them, no matter what country they are from.

In the past I had to face my mates at tournaments and try to get the better of them, so what will be quite refreshing this time is that I won't have to put those friendships aside.

I'm not on the pitch this time, so it doesn't matter what I do. Instead I can just be happy for my pals to be out there on the biggest stage, and fingers crossed they will perform.

Click here to read Joe Hart's column in full.

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Image source, Reuters

Niclas Fullkrug says Germany can't let Scotland "show their dynamism" on Friday.

Steve Clarke's side face the Euro 2024 hosts in the tournament opener in Munich on Friday.

Germany go into the game off the back of a 2-1 comeback win in a friendly against Greece while Scotland sacrificed a two goal lead to draw 2-2 with Finland in their final warm-up before the competition kicks off.

"We learnt some lessons from the Greece game which will be useful against Scotland," the Borussia Dortmund forward said.

"I’m interested to see how the coaches will prepare us for the game.

"I watched a Scotland match and they played differently to how I expected.

"They press very high. Against us, there’ll be phases where they’ll sit deeper.

"They try to get into shooting situations as quickly as possible, so it’ll be important that we counter that and not let them show their dynamism.

"We’ll prepare intensively this week. It’s not just about preparing for the opponent, but also keeping our energy levels up and improving ourselves."

With the Euros opener against Germany just four days away, here's how some of the Tartan Army are making the trip:

Eric: Flying in from Portland, Oregon. Meeting five old pals from Dumbarton in a rented van that's just gone overnight in a ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam then a quick drive to Munich.

Anonymous: Traveling from Wellington, New Zealand Leave on Wednesday night and will fly via Singapore to Frankfurt. Close to 30 hours of travel. Hopefully have a bit of a sleep then train to Munich the morning of the game.

Selbs: Germany from Australia! A 12 hour bus journey to Adelaide airport, then Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Istanbul and eventually Dusseldorf.

Allyson: Flying from New York via Dublin to Munich, then using trains to move about Germany. When Kenny McLean scored in Norway I said "let's go" and splurged on package.

David: Travelling from Perth Australia on Tuesday to Munich for my first major tournament. I am 69 so it's never too late. 17 hour flight but once I arrive be all worth it.

Peter: Set off on 3 June in a motorhome. I have spent last few days in northern France and I'm just about to cross the border and stay tonight in Freiburg then onto Munich where apparently there's a game on Friday!

Gordon: Melbourne to Saigon to Frankfurt to Munich - and on the way back going via Helsinki. Going to be the first time aged 44 that I see Scotland in a major tournament. Been regretting not going to France for 26 years!

A look back on David Marshall's goalkeeping career after he announced his retirement from playing.

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Friday's meeting with host nation Germany won't be the first time Scotland open a major tournament. Indeed, they did so on this day 26 years ago.

Cast your mind back to 1998 - thankfully not the last time we qualified now - when the eyes of the world were on France to see the mighty Brazil face Scotland in the World Cup.

Scotland went one down after five minutes, but fought back to equalise through John Collins' penalty, before an unfortunate deflection off Tom Boyd gave Brazil a late winner.

An iconic day in Scottish football history.

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Scotland assistant coach John Carver says their Euros training base is starting to "feel like home" as they prepare for the tournament opener against host nation Germany on Friday.

Steve Clarke's side arrived in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Sunday, and will be backed by a huge travelling support during their time in Germany.

"We had a wonderful welcome from the mayor and now we want to make an impact," Carver said, following the team's first training session on Monday.

"We saw a little bit of the culture last night and we've had the open day today and it was fantastic.

"It is very important you embrace the community and we've done that. We try to make it feel as much like home as we can, that's why we brought the weather with us.

"If you look at the surroundings, all the branding and making the place feel like it's our home."

On the importance of the Tartan Army, Carver added: "I'm hearing there could be more than 200,000, that doesn't surprise me.

"They are so important to this team. The players understand that. I hope they enjoy themselves. I hope we give them something to cheer about."

Watch to see which Euro 2024 star Scotland players would like in their squad.