Scotland Men's Football Team

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  1. Is it really a good time to face Germany?published at 15:36 11 June 2024

    Liam McLeod
    BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

    German national team trainingImage 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.

  2. McKenna expecting 'completely different' Euros atmospherepublished at 14:37 11 June 2024

    Scott McKennaImage 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."

  3. McKenna on opener excitement, competition for places & putting on showpublished at 13:25 11 June 2024

    Scott McKennaImage source, PA Media

    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.

  4. 'I'll be watching Scotland closely' - Hartpublished at 10:03 11 June 2024

    Joe Hart
    BBC Sport pundit

    Joe Hart

    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.

    Joe Hart (L) and Callum McGregor (R)Image source, SNS
  5. Germany must stop 'dynamic' Scotland - Fullkrugpublished at 18:23 10 June 2024

    Niclas FullkrugImage 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."

  6. Planes, trains and motorhomes - here's how you're getting to Germanypublished at 17:05 10 June 2024

    Your views

    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!

  7. Marshall: The Scotland keeper who sealed Euros qualificationpublished at 17:03 10 June 2024

    Media caption,

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

  8. On this day in 1998...published at 16:11 10 June 2024

    John Collins Image source, Getty Images

    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.