FINALLY, the waiting is over as Scotland kick off the European Championship with a daunting task against the hosts Germany in Munich on Friday night.
With an exodus of up to 200,000 members of the Tartan Army on their way, Steve Clarke's side won't lack support, but what is far more of a worry is their lack of form going into the tournament.
A year ago, Scotland were on a high, the sikes of Spain and Denmark were deservedly beaten at Hampden Park, and Erling Haaland and co. were sent homeward to think again in Oslo.
However, form has fallen off a cliff recently, with one win in nine, and that being a torrid struggle against Gibraltar in Portugal. Even their final warm-up game caused doubts after blowing a 2-0 lead at home to Finland.
Clarke can moan about the ‘negative Normans' all he likes, but there is real concern following injuries to key players Lyndon Dykes, Nathan Patterson, Lewis Ferguson and Aaron Hickey.
German were on a downward streak themselves after just three wins in 11 games last year.
But a stunning 2-0 win in France in Lyon in March appears to have transformed their mood. They are full of confidence.
How the bookies view it? Germans off to a flyer
Germany are 2/7 favourites here. Scotland can be backed at 8/1 and the draw is 5/1 all with bet365.
Recent head to heads: Hosts not unbeatable
This will be the 14th time Scotland have played on Germany soil, against Germany, West Germany, East Germany and three games in the 1974 World Cup. They have won three games – the last of which was in 1999.
The last meeting was ten years ago when a Thomas Muller double saw off the Scots 2-1 in Dortmund.
Last five H2H results:
- 07/09/2015 (Euro Qualifiers) – Scotland 2-3 Germany
- 07/09/2014 (Euro Qualifiers) – Germany 2-1 Scotland
- 10/09/2003 (Euro Qualifiers) – Germany 2-1 Scotland
- 07/06/2003 (Euro Qualifiers) – Scotland 1-1 Germany
- 28/04/1999 (International Friendly) – Germany 0-1 Scotland
Players to watch:
Germany have many attacking options, but Kai Havertz will get the nod to start up front. The Arsenal man has 16 international goals, and bet365 makes him 8/5 to score anytime.
Scott McTominay was Scotland's hero during the qualifiers with seven goals – just one behind Harry Kane, to put it into context. The Manchester United midfielder is 7/1 to score anytime.
Predicted line-ups:
Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug got a knock in training this week and is viewed as a doubt, although it's unlikely he would have started.
Andy Robertson and Lawrence Shankland are both expected to shake off knocks ahead of the opener.
Germany: Neuer, Kimmich, Tah, Rudiger, Mittelstadt, Kroos, Andrich, Musiala, Gündogan, Wirtz, Havertz.
Scotland: Gunn, Porteous, Hendry, Tierney, Ralston, McTominay, McGregor, Gilmour, Robertson, McGinn, Adams.
Anything else catch the eye?
Opening games are rarely classics, but there should be goals here with hosts Germany tipped to have too much for a proud Scotland side who are likely to give everything, but fall short.
Germany has talent through its ranks, but it is by no means infallible. It has recently conceded to Greece, Netherlands, Austria, Turkey, USA, France, Japan, Colombia, and Poland, and that list extends to 12 in 14 games where it failed to keep a clean sheet.
Scotland clearly have issues, too, in defence, especially with the vulnerable right-hand side, where it could be a long night for Tony Ralston.
The call is to back both teams to score and a Germany win at a nice 9/4 with bet365.
Germany have won 24 corners on their own in their last two home games and Scotland will want to use set pieces as a weapon too. So it comes as a surprise to see bet365 offering odds-against at 11/10 for over nine corners here.
John McGinn will certainly be in for an eventful night in the engine room and he's no stranger to taking one for the team if need be – he actually collected more yellow cards (12) than goals (11) last season.
The Aston Villa man is an excitable character so back him at 21/10 to be shown a card on Friday.
This Euro 2024 match between Germany and Scotland will be played on Jun 14, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Germany vs Scotland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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