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Think you know your Panenka from your Piratiko? Why not try our quiz, with 24 questions on the history of the Euros …
“Hi Niall.” Hello there, Simon McMahon. “Really looking forward to the opening fixture between these two sides. The land of beer, sausages, ridiculous national costumes and unintelligible, emotionally repressed men, versus Germany. COME ON SCOTLAND!!!”
Euro 2024 mascot Albärt meets a Scotland fan. Photograph: Ying Tang/NurPhoto/ShutterstockStep into my tactics truck, and we’ll take a look at how both teams might set up. After a doomed experiment with Kai Havertz as a left-wing-back, Julian Nagelsmann has gone back to basics, recalling Toni Kroos and switching to a 4-2-3-1, with Havertz likely to lead the line tonight ahead of Niclas Füllkrug.
Germany’s predicted lineup. Photograph: The GuardianAs for Scotland, they are expecting to field a back three, with Anthony Ralston joining Andy Robertson at wing-back. The midfield engine room is crucial, led by Scott McTominay and John McGinn, while Che Adams’ pace on the break should see him selected instead of Lawrence Shankland.
Scotland’s potential starting XI. Photograph: The GuardianAnd here’s Ewan Murray on Scotland, seeking to reach the knockout stages at a major tournament for the first time:
There’s no better place to start your pre-match reading than with our Experts’ Network guides. First, the hosts …
PreambleReady? Of course you are. It’s been 13 long summer days since Real Madrid won the Champions League final, but the wait is almost over. We’re about to break the seal on a 30-day football buffet, where the games and goals will just keep piling up. You tell yourself that you might skip Poland v Austria next Friday, but you know you won’t.
We’re all in, and if the trophy belongs to the players and the tournament belongs to the fans who will criss-cross between Germany’s great football cathedrals, then maybe this moment belongs to us, the armchair fans. The simple joy of a big summer tournament feels like an increasingly rare treat, so let’s savour the moment.
Tonight’s opener, pencilled in the diary ever since the draw in early December, feels like a perfect first act. It pits the hosts, among the favourites but still not quite finding that elusive extra gear, against perennial underdogs in Scotland. Steve Clarke’s side appear to have slipped backwards since their exceptional qualifying campaign, drifting from dark horses to outsiders in a tricky Group A.
That said, if you have to play Germany in Germany, this is the time to do it – when rustiness and first-night nerves could really play a part. All the pressure is on the hosts tonight, and the longer Scotland can keep them at bay, the greater the tension inside the, er, Munich Football Arena. There lies the path to a shock victory – and if you can’t dream now, when can you?
Kick-off is at 9pm local time, 8pm BST and we’ll have all the buildup, team news and coverage of the opening ceremony. Auf geht’s!