Euro 2024: Scotland’s fixtures, predictions, star players and manager

All eyes will be on Germany over the summer months as the country hosts Euro 2024.

Here, Sports News Blitz’s Sam Condy takes a look at Scotland and their chances of glory in the much-anticipated tournament.

Who are Scotland playing at Euro 2024?

Scotland vs Germany: The 2024 competition will kick off on June 14 as Scotland take on host nation Germany at the Allianz Arena, Munich.

Scotland last faced Germany in 2015, losing 3-2 in a fairly one-sided match in which Germany created chance after chance, holding the ball well, and passing through the Scotland side.

Germany will be huge favourites in the opening game, with Kai Havertz likely to cause problems for the Scotland defence.

Sports News Blitz prediction: We expect Germany to come away with a 3-1 victory in the competition's opener.

Scotland vs Switzerland: Scotland's next game looks to be a crucial match-up, as with Germany heavy favourites to win the group stage, a battle for second is ready to take place, as the two countries clash on June 19 at the RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne.

Switzerland are slight favourites ahead of the clash, although the match could go either way and looks set to be a close-fought battle between the two nations.

Switzerland have yet to lose a game this year, coming away with two wins and two draws.

Bayern Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka has been in fine form for his national team and could cause issues for the Tartan Army in the middle.

Sports News Blitz prediction: The two sides will be evenly matched, with a scoreline reading 1-1 after 90 minutes.

Scotland vs Hungary: Scotland’s final game of the group stages will see the side lock horns against Hungary on June 23 at the MHP Arena, Stuttgart.

If Scotland can come away from Switzerland securing a draw, all eyes will be on Steve Clarke’s men as the match will be a must-win game, assuming Germany move through the group stages undefeated.

Again, the Tartan Army will need to be watchful of their opposition’s midfield as Liverpool star Dominik Szoboszlai - the poster boy of Hungarian football – has been in fine form for his national side, winning five of eight Player of the Match awards through the qualifying campaign.

Sports News Blitz prediction: Scotland will walk away with their only win of the group stage, taking three points from Hungary in a 2-0 win.

How could Scotland qualify for the knockout stages?

At Euro 2024, 24 teams will be battling it out for 16 places in the knockout stages of the tournament.

The top two teams from each group will automatically qualify for the next round, while the top four, third-place finishers will also receive a spot in the round of 16.

Six points would almost definitely guarantee Scotland a top-two finish, while four points would likely see a goal-difference decision made amongst the third-place teams.

For Scotland to be in with a shout of qualifying, they will need a walkover result against either Hungary or Switzerland and to pick up a draw elsewhere in the group stages, leaving a solid goal difference.

If the Tartan Army can rally against Germany, and hold the host nation to a draw, it would leave the squad in prime position to qualify for the knockout stages for the first time in the country's history.

Who are Scotland’s key players at Euro 2024?

John McGinn has cemented himself as a fan favourite amongst fans of the Scotland national team. The Aston Villa captain has been in fine form for his country, picking up three goals and two assists through the qualifying campaign.

Perhaps McGinn's best moment in a Scotland jersey came in 2021 when the Villa star scored a late overhead kick against Austria to secure a draw in the World Cup Qualifying match-up.

Captaining the side, Andy Robertson is another player who will be hoping to make a difference for the Tartan Army in Germany. The full-back recently surpassed Scotland legend George Young as the side's most-capped national team captain, wearing the armband on 49 separate occasions for his country.

Robertson held the record for most completed crosses at Euro 2020. Despite exiting in the group stage, the Liverpool superstar completed 12 successful crosses during the competition.

With much of Scotland's play directed down the left-hand side, Robertson’s eye for finding his man in the box could play a crucial role in his nation's hopes of securing a knockout spot.

Who is Scotland manager Steve Clarke?

Scotland boss Steve Clarke has lifted the Tartan Army to new heights since his appointment in 2019.

Under Clarke, Scotland qualified for their first major tournament in 23 years, earning a place at Euro 2020.

The side will now be travelling to their second consecutive European Championships, respected as an underdog threat to those in Group A.

Prior to his Scotland appointment, Clarke managed Kilmarnock, securing a European place for the side in 2019, and he recorded a club-record points tally in the Scottish Premier Football League.

How far will Scotland make it at Euro 2024?

Scotland currently have even odds of qualifying from Group A and progressing to the knockouts.

While a first-place finish is highly unlikely, if the side can secure a second-place finish they will likely face Italy in the round of 16, based on the predicted finishes of each group.

If Scotland could achieve a result against Italy, it appears they would find themselves pitted against England, in what would be a huge British showdown in the quarter-finals.

Finishing third place in their group would see Scotland kick off their knockout campaign against Spain.

If the Tartan Army could salvage a win from the Spanish side - akin to their Euro 2024 qualifying match - they will be expected to face Germany once again, this time in the quarter-finals.

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