Now that Scotland manager Steve Clarke has masterminded back-to-back European Championship appearances for his country for the first time since 1996, he will aim to go one step further and take them into the knockout stages for the first time.
Scotland kicks off Euro 2024 against host Germany on June 14 before playing Switzerland and then Hungary in Group A.
The Scots returned to the big stage of international football at the previous Euros, having not appeared at a tournament since the 1998 World Cup in France. They have never made it out of the group stage in 11 major tournaments.
Fans are hopeful of an historic run this time, though, as Scotland was terrific in qualifying, losing only once to group winner Spain and reaching the finals with two games to spare.
“To qualify for successive Euros after more than 20 years is phenomenal and testament to their hard work,” Clarke said when Scotland clinched their spot back in October.
“I said after Euro 2020 that we wanted to be serial qualifiers again and reaching successive Euro finals (tournaments) shows the progress we’ve made.”
Led by Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay and Liverpool defender Andy Robertson, Scotland won their first five qualifying games, including a 2-0 victory over Spain in which McTominay scored both goals.
Despite a 2-0 defeat by Spain in Seville, Scotland’s place was assured ahead of a much fancied Norway, whose team included Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Arsenal playmaker Martin Odegaard, after they failed to beat the Spanish.
Scotland at EURO 2024: At a Glance
Previous Euro performance: 3 tournaments, group stage 1992, 1996, 2020
FIFA ranking: 39
Nickname: Tartan Army
Coach: Steve Clarke
Star players: Andy Robertson, John McGinn, Scott McTominay
Main clubs: Celtic, Rangers
How did they qualify: Second place in Group A
Pre-Euro friendlies:
Gibraltar 0 Scotland 2
Scotland v Finland (June 7)
Clarke said his side were determined to reach uncharted territory in the tournament.
“When you get to that sort of level of competition, you have to get everything right, not just nearly everything right,” he told the BBC recently. “And that’s what Scotland teams haven’t been able to do in the past.
“We should have done it, but we didn’t. We messed it up. Hopefully, we can be the first squad to do it.”
McTominay, whose seven goals in qualifying were one fewer than England’s Harry Kane and one more than Haaland, will be one of the influential figures in the dressing room, along with Robertson and Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn.
Since its qualification group finished, Scotland has been on a seven-game winless run, including a 4-0 rout by the Netherlands and 1-0 loss to Northern Ireland.
It has two more friendlies to rediscover its form before Euro 2024 kicks off, against Gibraltar on June 3 and Finland on June 7.
Scotland squad:
Scotland Provisional Squad
Goalkeepers: Zander Clark (Hearts), Craig Gordon (Hearts), Angus Gunn (Norwich City), Liam Kelly (Motherwell)
Defenders: Liam Cooper (Leeds United), Grant Hanley (Norwich), Jack Hendry (Al-Ettifaq), Ross McCrorie (Bristol City), Scott McKenna (Copenhagen), Ryan Porteous (Watford), Anthony Ralston (Celtic), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), John Souttar (Rangers), Greg Taylor (Celtic), Kieran Tierney (Real Sociedad)
Midfielders: Stuart Armstrong (Southampton), Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Billy Gilmour (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ryan Jack (Rangers), Kenny McLean (Norwich), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Callum McGregor (Celtic), Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
Forwards: Che Adams (Southampton), Ben Doak (Liverpool), Lyndon Dykes (Queens Park Rangers), James Forrest (Celtic), Lawrence Shankland (Hearts).
Scotland schedule:
Scotland Euro 2024 fixtures:
Germany vs Scotland – June 15, Saturday – 12:30 AM IST
Scotland vs Switzerland – June 20, Wednesday – 12:30 PM IST
Scotland vs Hungary – June 24, Monday – 12:30 AM
LIVESTREAM AND TELECAST INFO
All of Scotland’s matches at Euro 2024 will be telecasted on the Sony Sports Network. The matches will also be live-streamed on the SonyLIV app.
(With inputs from Reuters, AFP)
Source Agencies
