Euro 2024 Preview: Germany vs. Scotland – prediction, team news, lineups

Fans will descend upon the Allianz Arena in Munich for today’s eagerly-awaited Euro 2024 curtain-raiser, as hosts Germany commence the latest continental gathering against Scotland in Group A.

For Die Mannschaft, the home Euros represents a gilt-edged chance to rectify some recent failures, while Steve Clarke‘s men are still waiting for their first knockout-round appearance.

Team News

© Reuters

As well as the likes of Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry or Timo Werner – all of whom missed out on selection for various reasons – Germany boss Nagelsmann has lost 20-year-old Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic, as a bout of tonsillitis has forced him to withdraw from the squad.

Borussia Dortmund’s Emre Can has been nominated to replace him, but Nagelsmann is expected to settle on a double pivot of Bayer Leverkusen lynchpin Robert Andrich and the retiring Toni Kroos in the centre anyway.

Kroos and Andrich’s partnership should see Ilkay Gundogan don the captain’s armband from the number 10 position, but Nagelsmann still has a couple of quandaries in attack, where Leroy Sane and Florian Wirtz are jostling for position out wide, while Niclas Fullkrug and Kai Havertz scrap to spearhead the charge.

In contrast, Scotland were one of the countries dealt devastating injury blows earlier this month, as Queens Park Rangers striker Lyndon Dykes was forced to withdraw from the squad with an ankle injury sustained in training, leaving the visitors without their primary focal point.

Liverpool winger Ben Doak also pulled out – although he has been nursing a knee issue since December and was a surprise call-up in the first place – while Rangers’ John Souttar and veteran goalkeeper Craig Gordon were the unfortunate souls to drop out of the squad when Clarke cut his ranks down to 26.

However, the likes of Andy Robertson, Scott McTominay and Stuart Armstrong should all be primed and ready to go after battling back from knocks, while Ryan Jack was absent from training on Tuesday but is not thought to be in any danger of missing the contest.

Germany vs Scotland Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

• Germany have a good historical record against Scotland and have won eight out of the 17 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Scotland’s four victories.
• Germany have won both their matches against Scotland in  major international tournaments, with their previous meeting at the Euros coming in 1992 and ending in a 2-0 victory for Germany.
• Scotland have won only one of their last 13 matches against Germany in all competitions, with their only such victory during this period coming by a 1-0 scoreline in a friendly in April 1999.
• Germany are playing in their 14th Euro tournament and have won the competition on three occasions – the joint-highest in the history of the competition alongside Spain.
• Germany are hosting an international tournament (World Cup & Euros) for the fourth time and have reached at least the semifinals on each of the previous three occasions.

Germany possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Kimmich, Tah, Rudiger, Mittelstadt; Kroos, Andrich; Musiala, Gundogan, Wirtz; Havertz

Scotland possible starting lineup:
Gunn; Hendry, Hanley, Tierney; Ralston, McTominay, Gilmour, Robertson; McGinn, Christie; Shankland

Form guide

Germany
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WDWWLL

Scotland
Form (all competitions, most recent first): DWLLDD

We say: Germany 2-0 Scotland

While Scotland’s charges may very well consider Friday’s curtain-raiser to be a free hit and play with the shackles off, the weight of expectation falls heavily on Germany, who have failed to handle such pressure in recent major tournaments.

However, Nagelsmann’s men have already bested France and the Netherlands this year and face an out-of-sorts Scotland outfit whose stellar start to Euro 2024 qualifying was not a sign of things to come, and the hosts ought to kick off this summer’s tournament with a routine success.