Scotland Men's Football Team

German comedian Henning Wehn is no longer fearing another "major embarrassment" for his country at Euro 2024 on home soil as they look to qualify from a group that includes Scotland.

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Scotland's Euro 2024 opponents Switzerland warmed up for the finals by easing to a 4-0 home win over Estonia.

The Swiss led by a goal at the break in Luzern thanks to Steven Zuber's 20th-minute strike.

Murat Yakin's men stepped up the intensity in the second half and Zeki Amdouni and Nico Elvedi netted before former Liverpool forward Xherdan Shaqiri wrapped up the scoring with a penalty.

The Swiss, who join Scotland, hosts Germany and Hungary in Group A at Euro 2024, play their final warm-up game at home to Austria on Saturday.

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Shooting drills are planned for the Scotland squad by head coach Steve Clarke as they seek to address a lack of "confidence". (Herald - subscription), external

Andy Robertson remains committed to Liverpool, although the 30-year-old has not yet spoken to new manager Arne Slot amid reported interest in the Scotland captain and left-back from Bayern Munich. (TeamTalk), external

Scotland qualified 18-year-old midfielder Archie Gray is among up to six high-profile players to leave Leeds United this summer after their failure to win promotion back to the Premier League. (Football Insider), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

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Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann described his side's friendly against Ukraine as "perfect in view of the games that await us in the group phase" despite Scotland's Euro 2024 opponents being held to a 0-0 home draw.

The hosts, who open the tournament next week against Steve Clarke's side, had raised expectations after recent wins over France and the Netherlands.

But they spurned a number of chances in Nuremberg against the side ranked 22nd in the world, particularly during a dominant second-half.

"You'd prefer to win," Nagelsmann said. "But the most important factor is that I want to see a team that wants to win. Today, we wanted that victory."

Taking over late last year after Hansi Flick became the first national coach in Germany history to be sacked, Nagelsmann won just one of his first four games.

He shook up his squad in response, leaving out 11 players and bringing back 2014 World Cup winner Toni Kroos, who had retired from international duty in 2021.

Nagelsmann also turned to players on form with domestic title winners Bayer Leverkusen and runners-up Stuttgart rather than traditional sources Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

Germany, who won only three games in 11 outings last year and have slipped to 16th in the world rankings, have now won four, drawn two and lost two under the 36-year-old former Bayern team boss.

Veteran Bayern forward Thomas Mueller, heading into his fourth Euros, said there was "no reason to be nervous" despite the goalless draw as Germany look to improve on two group stage World Cup exits in a row and a loss to England in the last 16 of the Euros in 2021.

Germany, who face Greece in their final friendly on Friday in Moenchengladbach, were without four players, including fulcrum Kroos, who played with Real Madrid in Saturday's Champions League final, against Ukraine.

Debutant Hoffenheim striker Maximilian Beier went close to breaking the deadlock, while 21-year-olds Florian Wirtz, from Leverkusen, and Jamal Musiala, of Bayern, showed they can form a dangerous attacking combination from midfield.

Other Nagelsmann selections, including midfielder Chris Fuehrich and left-back Maximilian Mittelstaedt, both of Stuttgart, also impressed.

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Hungary head coach Marco Rossi could not believe his side's 15-match unbeaten run was ended with a 2-1 defeat by Republic of Ireland as they warmed up for their Euro 2024 finals meeting with Scotland.

The 35th-minute opening goal was made in Scotland as Adam Idah, the Norwich City striker who ended the season on loan to Celtic, headed past goalkeeper Peter Gulasci from a cross by Southampton midfielder Will Smallbone.

The visitors were level five minutes later when a deflected long-range shot from captain Dominik Szoboszlai, the Liverpool midfielder, was flicked on by RB Leipzig centre-back Willi Orban and Omonia defender Adam Lang arrived at the far post to blast into the roof of the net.

However, against the run of play, Tottenham Hotspur striker Troy Parrott broke clear to seal victory in stoppage time.

Rossi, whose side dominated for long periods without troubling Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher unduly, said: "We were not satisfied even with the draw in minute 91.

"We had several chances to win this match. Of course, we made some mistakes, but I think Ireland had two chances and they scored both.

"Okay, we wanted to win, but every time if it's not possible to win, we have to accept the draw.

"Despite the fact that we were coming from 14 matches without defeat, we are not England or Germany. Like I have mentioned several times, we are in a process, we are growing up."

Rossi was without several players for the match in Dublin.

Fehérvár defender Attila Fiola is not completing full training sessions for the time being but is expected to play against Israel on Saturday.

Kecskeméti midfielder Krisztofer Horvath is also struggling with a minor injury, while Servette's Bendegúz Bolla and fellow midfielder Dániel Gazdag, of Philadelphia Union, only joined the squad on Monday due to club commitments.

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A makeshift striker could be in Steve Clarke’s squad already, according to ex-Scotland winger Pat Nevin.

A close friend of Clarke from their playing days at Chelsea, Nevin feels the head coach's ability to "adapt certain players and get things out of them we didn’t expect" backs up his view.

"All of a sudden, Scott McTominay became a great number 10," Nevin told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme.

"Clarke's also created a system that's allowed Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney to play in the same team, so an emergency centre-forward might be in the group already."

Talk about a call-up for Under-21 striker Tommy Conway has intensified after Clarke confirmed the Bristol City forward is "at the front" of his mind to potentially replace the injured Lyndon Dykes.

But Nevin struggles to see a scenario where two youngsters in the form of teenager Ben Doak and Conway make the final squad.

"You get the feeling it’s either going to be a Conway or a Doak, one of the two," he says.

"I know they’re completely different players, but Che Adams is probably our number one choice anyway."

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Zander Clark says it was a "real honour" to see his name in Scotland's provisional Euro 2024 squad and now the Hearts goalkeeper is eyeing a place in the final 26.

Clark played the entirety of the 2-0 friendly win over Gibraltar on Monday, his fourth cap.

The 31-year-old, who is one of four keepers in the squad, had limited involvement in the game with the opposition managing just one shot on target.

But, having established himself as number one at Hearts, Clark hopes he has shown enough at both club level and in Scotland training to justify a place in the final squad.

"It's always a real honour to see your name on that list," he said. "It’s a provisional list, it’s then up to the ones who are selected to show the manager what they can do.

"Obviously [Monday] wasn’t a real opportunity in terms of goalkeeping, but in training and throughout the season I feel I've been doing pretty well.

"If you can get the nod like I did [on Monday], it’s about making sure it's a zero for the opposition.

"I just need to keep focused on myself and make sure I'm in the manager's thoughts."

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Captain Andy Robertson has revealed Lyndon Dykes will remain part of the Scotland squad in Germany despite injury ruling the striker out of Euro 2024.

Dykes, 28, was named in Steve Clarke’s provisional squad before sustaining an injury in training last Friday that has scuppered his involvement.

“I’ve spoken with Lyndon. I didn’t tell him to stay in camp, because that has to be his own choice,” Robertson told Sky Sports.

“But to be fair to the big man, he’s keen to come and he wants to be involved. He doesn’t want to miss out, his family are all booked up.

“I’ve spoken with his wife when she was in the hotel and she’s still determined on coming. It’s great for us because Lyndon is a big part of what we do. He plays a big part off the field as well.

“Although he can’t contribute on the pitch, he can contribute off it. If the big man wants to do that then it’s happy days for us because he really is a massive part of our squad. So I’m delighted he’s going to come.

“I’d love to have him on the pitch but the next best thing is with us off it.”

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Scotland must work on being "a bit more clinical" for Euro 2024, says midfielder Ryan Christie.

Steve Clarke's side passed up a flurry of golden chances in a laboured friendly win over Gibraltar on Monday until Christie netted the opener.

The goal was the Bournemouth man's first international strike in almost two years and was followed by a second from Che Adams.

Christie said he was "frustrated" with a big chance he missed in the first half but expressed his "relief" at getting on the scoresheet after the break.

"I was probably due one for my country," he said. "It had been a been a while, the gaffer mentioned that earlier in the week.

"So it's nice to get back on the scoresheet personally, but team wise it's important to get the win and start building momentum again.

"We could have been two or three up at half-time and been a bit more clinical. That's something we need to work on going into the Finland game and Germany.

"But we stayed patient. It was tough conditions with the heat and the dry pitch. Overall it was a successful night and there's plenty to build on."

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Promoting Tommy Conway up to Steve Clarke's provisional Euro 2024 squad is a "no-brainer" for ex-Scotland striker Lee Miller.

Following the news Lyndon Dykes will miss the tournament with an ankle injury, Clarke has said Bristol City striker Conway is under consideration to replace the Queens Park Rangers forward.

Conway scored 12 club goals last season, almost double the amount of Dykes' tally of seven, and netted on Monday night for the Under-21s in their friendly defeat away to Turkey.

Meanwhile, in Portugal, a lack of clinical edge was on show during the senior side's laboured friendly win over Gibraltar.

On what Conway offers, Miller says he is a "livewire" who "links up well" and "plays with a bit of swagger".

"For me it's a no-brainer, I think you put Conway in," former Aberdeen and Hearts striker added on Tuesday's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Bring him into the environment, see how he gets on with the players, see how he strikes up partnerships and relationships.

"These youngsters in the first team play with the safety catch off, they play with a freedom and they don't tense up.

"I think he'll get thrown in and I don't see why he shouldn't."

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From wanting more from a debutant and a lack of clinical edge, to what it means - if anything - going forward, here's what the Sportsound pundits made of Scotland's friendly win over Gibraltar on Monday...

Former Scotland striker Steven Thompson: "Stopping that winless run was important, but how much confidence are you going to take from that? It couldn't be more removed from what the Germany game is going to look like.

"I'm hoping on Friday against Finland we get more energy. I hope we see the Scotland team that got us to the tournament in the first place.

"Friday will be a better game, a better test. It's about peaking at a specific moment, it's a difficult thing to do. That's the balancing act."

Ex-Scotland defender Willie Miller: "Ross McCrorie can have a real influence when he's positive, but I think he took the easy option too often. That's a position that's up for grabs. I wish he had done more, because he's capable of more.

"I think Steve Clarke will be disappointed they didn't take more of the chances created. There were two very good goals, though, and a boost for Ryan Christie and Che Adams.

"You're looking for Lawrence Shankland scoring, which is disappointing. He would have hoped to get a goal or two. Adams did what a striker needs to do and that's scoring."

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Having gained his first Scotland cap in three years after a stellar end to the campaign with Celtic, James Forrest discussed his return to the national side and recent form following the friendly win over Gibraltar.

Here's the best of what the winger had to say...

Did you think this moment would come again?

"Obviously I've not been in a camp for three years and you're getting a bit older as well. I've really enjoyed my football these last couple of months and I'm delighted to get the call-up and get another game for Scotland. I'm just going to enjoy every day I'm here."

Did you start to feel you had a chance in the past couple of months?

"Everyone was saying that to me, but honestly I was just focused on every game at Celtic. Then you obviously know the Euros are coming up and every Scottish player wants to go and be a part of it. I'm the same even though I'm getting older, you still want to work hard and play for your national team as much as you can and it was a great boost."

Would you feel unlucky not to make the final squad now?

"That's down to the manager. I think myself and a few others just need to come away, enjoy it and try and give our best. That's all you can do."

How special would it be for you to make these Euros?

"Obviously when you’re playing as a professional, you want to be playing in the biggest games possible, to be playing in the big stadiums against the best players, and I've managed to do that all my career. So I'm going to just enjoy the next few days and when the manager makes his decision I'll get on with that."

On playing on left wing on Monday...

"They’ve had a lot of joy playing a different formation. I can play in a different couple positions, I’ve done that with Celtic as well, so I'm just happy to play anywhere. Anyone will feel the same."

Does it feel like you've been away at all?

"I think maybe Angus Gunn was the only player I didn't know, so after the first day it was as if I hadn't been away. I've known loads of the boys for years and it's a really tight group so it just felt normal and it was good to be back training and playing with them again."

What was your reaction to being named in the provisional squad?

"Obviously I was delighted, it’s been a great few months. I've not actually been thinking about going to the Euros, I've just been thinking about meeting up, training and the couple of friendlies. So now I'll look forward to the Finland game and just enjoy the next few days."

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Ross McCrorie says he reached "the pinnacle" of his career by making his Scotland debut on Monday.

The Bristol City defender, 26, earned his first senior cap at right-back in the friendly victory over Gibraltar, playing the entire 90 minutes.

A "delighted" McCrorie said "hopefully I made my family proud" post-match.

"The manager said go and do what I've been doing down at Bristol City," he added.

"It's the pinnacle of a young footballer's career to play for the national team. Any footballer wants to play in the top tournaments. You've got to relish playing under pressure."

On the team's performance in Portugal, McCrorie said: "We need to keep the performance levels high. We did that, but there should have been a few more goals."

So, what did you make of Scotland's win over Gibraltar in Faro? Concerning? Job done?

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Scotland head coach Steve Clarke: "I learned the grass is really sticky. It was a different surface. It certainly wasn't a night for dribblers.

"What we learned is that we can create chances and we just need to find the final finish. We need to work on it in training and their confidence in terms of finishing.

"When it comes to Che Adams - bang, goal. That's the kind of confidence you need to show at this level.

"It was just to stay patient - 2-0, clean sheet. Let's use it as a training exercise, which it was. We're reasonably pleased."

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Thomas Duncan, BBC Sport Scotland

This match was never likely to serve up much intrigue given the context.

A largely empty stadium. A Scotland squad with some players short of match fitness, and others concerned about suffering the same fate as Lyndon Dykes by getting injured so close to the tournament. And a poor Gibraltar side.

It was hardly a surprise this was a low tempo affair. In truth there is not much Steve Clarke can take from it beyond getting some minutes into the likes of Grant Hanley, Kieran Tierney, Ryan Jack, and Che Adams.

Ross McCrorie made his debut at right-back, but cannot be judged against such opposition. And even then the Bristol City player was caught out for Gibraltar's one chance in the first-half, when a pass was curled in behind him.

What is a concern is the poor finishing. Scotland had enough chances to make this a lot more comfortable.

In isolation it could be written off, but a lack of killer instinct was also evident in the defeats by the Netherlands and Northern Ireland in March.

Germany, Switzerland, and Hungary will be similarly unforgiving if that continues.

Ever since serenely qualifying for Euro 2024, Scotland's momentum has stalled and injury issues have dogged their build up.

The loss of first-choice right-backs Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson, and midfielder Lewis Ferguson was compounded by Dykes' training ground injury.

Others such as Hanley, Jack, Ben Doak, Liam Cooper, and Adams barely played in recent months, and Adams has had a calf issue. Cooper was forced off in Faro, too.

The only positive note is it has stopped the run of seven games without a win, and warm-up friendlies scarcely reflect a team's tournament performance.

Three years ago Scotland were impressive in drawing with the Netherlands, while also seeing off Luxembourg, and failed to win a group stage game.

For Clarke it's all about what happens between the 14 and 24 June.