Euro 2024 Day 6 preview: Clarke expects more from Scots

Steve Clarke insists Scotland have to do better when they face Switzerland in a crucial Euro 2024 game in Cologne on Wednesday night (Live on RTÉ2/RTÉ Player, 8pm).

There was a lot of hype and excitement surrounding the opening Group A match against Germany in Munich on Friday but it evaporated in an excoriating 5-1 defeat.

A sound thrashing left Scotland needing at least a point against the Swiss – who impressively beat Hungary 3-1 in their opening match – to keep alive realistic hopes of a Scotland men’s side reaching the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time.

Clarke was clear and concise in his media conference at the Cologne Stadium as he surveyed the Swiss challenge.

“Difficult opponent, I expect a difficult game,” said the Scotland boss, who will be without Ryan Porteous after the defender was handed a two-game ban for “serious rough play” after being sent off against Germany for a red-mist lunge on Ilkay Gundogan.

“For us, it is to regroup and go again. It’s that simple. It is about doing better, exactly that.

“The players want to go back and play better and I think that is pretty standard when you play so poorly and let yourself down.

“As I said when I spoke to a lot of you on Sunday, it is about doing better, working better into the game.

“We thought we were well prepared for Germany, obviously we weren’t. So this time I think it is better not to say too much and hopefully with our actions on the pitch we will show that we prepared well and a positive result would be lovely.”
Clarke targeted four points from the final two group games after the Germany defeat but insists only victory is on his mind on matchday two.

The former Kilmarnock and West Brom boss said: “To go into the game thinking you only need a point is dangerous. We go there to win, to be as positive as we can and we see where that takes us.

“It is more about making sure we perform as well as we can and if we can do that I am pretty confident we can get something from the game.

“I was very impressed with the Swiss. I thought they were excellent, really good in the first half and then controlled the second half well and when they needed a late goal to take some pressure off they managed to do that as well.

“It is a big challenge, a good team, a lot of good players, very strong down the spine of the team, defend well, don’t give too much away and have a lot of pace up front. So we expect a difficult night.”

Switzerland 3-1 Hungary highlights

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Murat Yakin wants Switzerland to be ready for any response from Scotland.

Speaking through an interpreter in the Cologne stadium, Yakin spoke about the challenge of Scotland with the emphasis on his own side.

He said: “The game Scotland played [against Germany] is not a reference point, they can play very well, we have a lot of confidence but we think they have prepared well to disrupt us.

“They have to show a reaction and I hope we can play our game as planned.

“We can prepare very well for our opponents and after we had test games [before the tournament] there were one or two corrections we prepared for Hungary and implemented those changes very well.

“We have changed a few positions and moves to make us even more dangerous and it worked for us. If that works for us again, we shall see tomorrow.”

“They will want to show everyone they’re a better team like they did during a great qualification campaign”

Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji name-checked a few Scotland players who play in the Premier League or who have played in England’s top flight – and he expects more from the Scots tonight.

He said: “I have played against a lot who start for the team, John McGinn had a great season, (Scott) McTominay too with Man United, scoring a lot of goals.

“McGinn has a great impact in offence and works hard off the ball. Andy Robertson has been there for a long time and played a lot of games, he is always dangerous on the wing.

“These are the players I have mainly played against, I know they have Kieran Tierney too but I don’t think I have played against him yet.

“They lost the first game and didn’t show the best performance while playing a lot of time with a man down.

“They will want to show everyone they’re a better team like they did during a great qualification campaign.

“We have prepared for that and like us they want three points to go into the next round, we have to be ready for the start as we know they can play a lot better than they did in the first game.”

Germany 5-1 Scotland highlights

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Hungary will be under greater pressure, with the threat of elimination hanging over them, than hosts Germany when they face each other in their Euro 2024 Group A match today (Live on RTÉ2/RTÉ Player, 5pm), Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann believes.

“I had put Scotland and Hungary on a very similar level,” Nagelsmann said. “It depends how we play tomorrow. Hungary are under a bit more pressure than we are after the first match.”

“I think they have to be a bit more aggressive than against Switzerland as they could potentially be out of the tournament.”

The Germans are top of the group on three points, ahead of the Swiss on goal difference, with Hungary and Scotland without any points. Victory over Hungary could see them guarantee a top-two finish and a spot in the knockout stages.

“We have analysed the Hungarians and have a clear idea how we will play. It is about winning the game tomorrow. We saw their first match against Swiss where it was a game of two halves. Hungary deserved more than they got in the end,” Nagelsmann said.

“In the qualifiers Hungary were the second-best team when it came to creating or converting chances from set pieces.”

“They play a good transition game. They have strikers who are powerful in the air. They play with precise crosses. They are very dangerous.”

Nagelsmann said Hungary’s performance would also depend on the way Germany approach the game, just as it was against Scotland.

“After the Scotland game I said it depends on us, how we play. Scotland were impressed in the first 20 minutes with how we were playing. It has to do with how we play.”

Hungary will need to play a perfect game to get at least a point, coach Marco Rossi suggested.

The Italian said it was the first time in four years that he was ashamed of his players after a complacent Hungary were two goals down to the Swiss by halftime on Saturday, eventually losing 3-1.

However, Rossi insisted that his team were determined to put in the kind of performance on Wednesday that would restore pride and keep their last-16 hopes alive ahead of a final group game against Scotland.

“We’ve paid for these (mistakes) in the first game and tomorrow we are playing Germany which, in my opinion, is the toughest rival, toughest team to play now, but we will do our best,” Rossi said.

“We know on paper the German team is better than us. This should further motivate us, allowing us to give our very best show.

“Hopefully we can grasp a point tomorrow and that will allow us, I hope, to qualify for the next round. But this will call for the perfect match, all those playing must give 100%.”

Hungary are joint bottom of Group A with Scotland on zero points, ahead of the Scots only on goal difference, so they need a positive result if they are to reach the knockout stage for the first time since Euro 2016.

“We seek some sort of comeback. Because for the first time in four years, since November 2020, I was ashamed of my team after the first half,” he added.

“But inevitably the first half affected the final outcome. And I and my players have this sensation right now that we really want to show what we are truly worth.”

Hungary have a good recent record against the Germans, going unbeaten in their last three encounters – the last of which was a 1-0 win for the Hungarians in Leipzig in the Nations League in September 2022.

However, this will be the first time that Rossi faces a resurgent German side coached by Nagelsmann.

“Right now, it’s not the German squad we played against three years ago (Euro 2020) or in the Nations League,” Rossi said.

“They have (midfielder) Toni Kroos once again, he needs no introduction.

“The previous coaches were very good but I think this one (Nagelsmann) is really a top-notch coach. So if you look at all this you know what you’re in for. We know it will be very tough for us.”

Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic has vowed to take nothing for granted as his side bid to belatedly kick-start their Euro 2024 campaign against Albania in Hamburg at 2pm (Live on RTÉ2/RTÉ Player).

An opening 3-0 defeat to Spain in Group B has raised the stakes for Dalic’s men with a final group game against favourites Italy still to come.

Spain 3-0 Croatia highlights

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But Albania’s gutsy display against the Italians – in which they scored after just 23 seconds before falling to a 2-1 defeat – has made it clear to Dalic that his side face another difficult test.

Dalic said: “Albania may not be of the same quality as Spain but they deserve a lot of respect.

“They are motivated and organised, so we need to be patient and cautious. We know our goal is to win and we will be more offensive. We want to improve. Even against Spain, we had possession and created more chances, but now we need to be even better.”

Croatia’s difficult start has been exacerbated by an injury to midfielder Nikola Vlasic which has ruled him out for the rest of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Albania coach Sylvinho is eager to accentuate the positives of his side’s opening loss to the Italians, and not read too much into the Croatians’ opening defeat.

Sylvinho, who expects to be able to pick from a full squad, said: “Except for the first 15 minutes against Italy, we did really well. We are talking about Italy, one of the best teams in the competition.

“Croatia gave a good performance (against Spain), even in losing 3-0. If you see the stats from this match without seeing the result, you wouldn’t believe Croatia lost. But at this level of football, anything can happen.”

Watch every game from Euro 2024 on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player as well as highlights and goals as they happen on RTÉ Sport digital platforms