Scotland Men's Football Team

Image source, Reuters

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."

Image source, PA

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

Image source, Getty Images

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

Image source, Getty Images

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."

Image source, PA Media

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.

Image source, Getty

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."

Image source, PA Media

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke has been answering media questions in the aftermath of Friday's damaging defeat by Germany, and with the Switzerland game to come on Wednesday.

"Disappointing night," he reflected.

"We got a lot of things wrong and we've got to put it right in the next game.

"Try not to concede five goals. Give a better message.

"If I could criticise myself, and I always criticise myself, I start with myself, I maybe gave too much information, which maybe clouded the players a bit on the pitch in terms of what we do with the ball and what we do without the ball.

"So we can work on that and we have worked on that a bit this morning. We'll work on it in the next two days."

Scott Mullen, BBC Sport Scotland en route to Cologne

Farwell Munich, it's been emotional.

We're currently hurtling our way to Cologne on a train with more cases than Harvey Spector. Half a dozen crew, three pundits, a commentator and about 43 pieces of luggage. We travel light.

We also have Marshmallow, my daughter's stowaway. Say hello...

Image source, Scott Mullen

It's easy to give it "the atmosphere was great", but the buzz was different to anything I've ever seen when following Scotland or any club team abroad.

Munich was hit with a Scottish invasion. From Aberdeen to Australia, from young kids to pensioners. This was a celebration where the result of the game was irrelevant. Which came in handy, to be fair.

The Tartan Army took over the place, but now pass Munich on to Romanian and Ukranian fans to keep the party going.

Munich Hauptbahnhof was bursting, but all eyes are now on Wednesday and Cologne. Let's hope Marshmallow will be toasting a win come Wednesday.

Steve Clarke will be keen to "put to bed" the 5-1 hammering by Germany and get his players focused on their next game, believes former Scotland striker Steven Thompson.

Now the attention needs to switch to Switzerland and trying to get back to winning ways, following the Swiss side's win over Hungary.

"Obviously Steve Clarke wants to move on, put this to bed and will be reiterating that to the players today," Thompson told Sportsound.

"They will go over the things they think they did not do right, but he'll very quickly switch the focus to the Switzerland game.

"I imagine they will all have watched that game this afternoon. Switzerland were impressive. "

Having seen Switzerland comfortably defeat 3-1 Hungary, Thompson believes Scotland need to look at a better game plan for their crucial forthcoming clash.

"It's not going to be an easy game. We certainly can't approach it in a similar manner to how we approached the Germany game where we were so passive and didn't lay a glove on them.

"It has to be aggressive - that's what brought us success in the past. We have to play with far more energy and far more confidence."

Image source, Reuters