GLASGOW: Scotland will be roared on at Euro 2024 by a travelling Tartan Army of up to 200,000 fans, but they travel to Germany in hope more than expectation after a testing time for Steve Clarke´s men.
In October, Scotland secured qualification for just a second major tournament in 26 years but before Monday´s 2-0 victory against Gibraltar they had failed to win in seven games. That run coincided with a step up in opposition as defeats to England, Spain, France and the Netherlands showcased the quality gap that still exists between Scotland and Europe´s best despite the progress made since Clarke took charge in 2019.
A clash with hosts Germany to open the tournament in Munich on June 14 is a daunting prospect. However, Scotland believe they can progress beyond the group stage at a major tournament for the first time in their history, with matches against Switzerland and Hungary to follow in Group A.
“This squad have been fantastic for me and fantastic for their country and now they have a chance to create a bit of history, so let´s see if we can do that,” said Clarke.
“We will need top-level performances against good teams. We are going to have to play to our maximum in the three group games.” Injuries have robbed Clarke of a number of key players.