SCOTLAND and Switzerland meet in the second round of Euro 2024 games on Wednesday and they could hardly be going into this with any different levels of confidence.
Steve Clarke's side were completely taken apart by Germany in the first game of the Euros on Friday night and the Tartan Army have been crying into their beer ever since.
It wasn't just the 5-1 defeat, as bad as it was, it was the complete absence of any fight, spirit, tactical awareness and belief from an abysmal Scotland side.
Never at any stage did they offer up any resistance and while Germany played well, Scotland made it incredibly easy for them and they will have been licking their wounds ever since.
But for the Swiss, their opening game could hardly have gone any better. They looked like the experienced warhorses they are when it comes to tournament football and were hugely superior to Hungary in the first half.
Unlike Scotland, Hungary at least gave it a go after the interval and got a goal back, but Switzerland simply stepped up a gear after that setback and killed the game.
How the bookies view it: Swiss on a roll
Switzerland are 17/20 favourites with bet365 and it would come as no surprise if those odds shorten before kick-off. Scotland are 3/1 outsiders and the draw is 11/4.
Recent head to heads: Scots edge it
Scotland's last ever win at a tournament actually came against the Swiss when they defeated them 1-0 at Euro 96 at Birmingham. They have played 16 times and Scotland have won eight, drawn three times and lost five.
Last five H2H duels:
- 01/03/2006 (International Friendly) – Scotland 1-3 Switzerland
- 18/06/1996 (EURO) – Scotland 1-0 Switzerland
- 08/09/1993 (World Cup Qualifiers) – Scotland 1-1 Switzerland
- 09/09/1992 (World Cup Qualifiers) – Switzerland 3-1 Scotland
- 11/09/1991 (EURO Qualifiers) – Switzerland 2-2 Scotland
Players to watch: Duah on fire
Che Adams was sacrificed early on in Munich after Ryan Porteous' red card and it was a tough shift for the Southampton man. He is 18/5 to score anytime with bet365
Kwadwo Duah was the man who got the Swiss off to a great start by scoring the opening goal – his first ever goal for his country, The Ludogorets Razgrad striker is 11/4 to score anytime with bt365.
Predicted line-ups
Scotland will be missing Ryan Porteous who is suspended after that red card against Germany and surely Steve Clarke will mix it up after Friday's shambles.
The Swiss could easily line up with the same team after the their excellent display.
SCOTLAND: Gunn, Hanley, Hendry, Tierney, McCrorie, McGregor, McGinn, Gilmour, McTominay, Robertson, Adams.
SWITZERLAND: Sommer; Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Widmer, Freuler, Xhaka, Ndoye; Shaqiri, Vargas; Amdouni.
Anything else catch the eye?
Even the most optimistic Tartan Army fan will fine it hard to get up for this one and the Swiss look an absolute gift here at almost evens.
They showed their tournament-level experience when they proved to be too strong for a Hungarian team that was tipped to be dark horses after a 14-match unbeaten run.
So they really should have too much for a shellshocked Scotland team who looked utterly out of their depth on Friday,
They might improve but the same issues remain defensively and particularly on the right side. In fact the Swiss could take advantage of a nervy Scots here and make a flying start. Back them to win half-time and full-time too at 9/5 with betano.
This Euro 2024 match between Scotland and Switzerland will be played on Jun 19, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Scotland vs Switzerland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
