Steve Clarke’s Tartan army are pitted alongside Hungary and Switzerland, and tournament hosts Germany in group A of the 2024 European championships.
Scotland, inspired by the rich form of lanky Manchester United midfielder Scott Mctominay, who managed seven goals in seven starts in qualification; notably, his brace against the La Furia Roja of Spain secured them a statement result across qualification. The Scots finished in second place behind Spain, six points clear of Manchester City’s forward Erling Haaland’s Norway, racking up 17 points spanning five wins, two draws, and a single loss to Spain in their return encounter.
Euro 2024 will be the 4th appearance of the Scottish side in the prestigious continental tournament having featured in the 1992,1996 and 2020 editions. In their last outing, they ended up last in a group involving neighbors England, Croatia, and Iceland picking up only one point having drawn one of 3 games. Scott Mctominay, Andy Robertson, and John Mcginn are the vital cogs on which the Tartan Army runs, and gaffer Steve Clarke will undoubtedly be hopeful of having them fully fit and in the best of form.
Switzerland surprisingly settled for the second spot in a qualification group featuring Israel, Belarus, Kosovo, Andorra, and Romania where they’re the highest-ranked team. Romania ran out leaders with a whooping 22 points recording no losses. Switzerland’s 17 points came across 4 wins, 5 draws, and 1 loss. The Swiss mark their 6th continental appearance with the Euros 2024; their highest campaign coming in the last edition ending in the quarter-finals after Spain knocked them out on penalties following a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes.
Former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka continues to be at the center of Murat Yakin’s plans with or without the presence of the injury-prone Xherdan Shaqiri. As the remaining core of their tournament participating team over the last decade well into their 30s, this edition will represent their last chance to put Switzerland as far up top as possible on the international scene.
Scotland and Switzerland have faced off 16 times; the Swiss emerging victors on only 5 occasions with the Scots taking the lead in 8 encounters, putting 26 goals past the Swiss and conceding 24 times. Recording 3 draws across their 16 fixtures.
Match Tickets
The RheinEnergieStadion, the home Stadium of FC Köln in Cologne, was renovated to host matches at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Since 2010, the stadium has been the regular venue for the DFB-Pokal women’s cup final, making it an essential landmark in German football history. The stadium has a rich history and is a beloved venue for fans of both men’s and women’s football.
Scotland vs Switzerland tickets for the encounter are made available on the UEFA ticketing portal on its official website for intended individuals, where tickets are allotted on a lottery-based system to allow for a fair distribution across the month-long tournament.
In terms of streaming, the BBC and ITV have secured the United Kingdom broadcasting rights for the tournament. The US is offering coverage on Fox Sports, FuboTV, and TelevisaUnivision.
Team News
Line ups
Steve Clarke’s Scotland set up in a compact 4-5-1 has been his preferred system over the past year. Liverpool left-back and Scotland captain Andy Robertson went off injured in the September international break. He has gradually worked his way back to fitness and will lead his side into the tournament on the back of a surreal qualification campaign. The Scots are robustly blessed in the full-back position with Real Sociedad’s Kieran Tierney and Everton’s Nathan Patterson providing cover for the more favored Andy Robertson and Aaron Hickey of Brentford.
In midfield, the workhouse is powered by the presence of Aston Villa captain John Mcginn, the Red Devils’ Scott Mctominay, Billy Gilmour from Brighton and Hove Albion as well as Celtic veteran Callum McGregor. Stuart Armstrong and Che Adams both of Southampton and Lyndon Dykes of Queens Park Rangers, will battle it out for the available striking spot.
Scotland possible XI – Gunn; Robertson, Tierney, Hendry, Porteous, Hickey; Mcginn, McGregor, Gilmour, Mctominay; Adams.
Switzerland has a healthy contingent of stars across Europe’s leading teams. Head Coach Murat Yakin will be hopeful of having better luck with injuries, particularly in the case of trusted forward player Xherdan Shaqiri who now plies his trade in the Major League Soccer for Chicago fire. Granit Xhaka who returned to the Bundesliga in 23/24 with Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Ricardo Rodriguez with Italian outfit Torino and Fabian Schar plying his trade at high-flying Newcastle United, are household names who have represented the nation at the last three major international tournaments and remain a significant part of their set-up. Remo Freuler, Djibril Sow, and AS Monaco’s Denis Zakaria will support Granit Xhaka in midfield. Highly rated Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji and former Bundesliga colleague Nico Elvedi will provide enough shield for Inter Milan goalie Yann Sommer.
Switzerland possible XI – Sommer; Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez; Garcia, Xhaka, Freuler, Ndoye; Shaqiri, Vargas, Okafor.
Prediction
Either side will be looking to make the most of this exciting tie to set their paces in the tournament ahead of the knockout rounds. It will eventually come down to whichever team shows more grit, resilience, and composure to grind out a hard-earned victory in this encounter.
Scotland 1-1 Switzerland