(Football news) Germany who are still awaiting their maiden trip to the knockout phase under Steve Clarke, see the home Euros as a golden opportunity to make up for some previous setbacks.
The youthful Julian Nagelsmann, who once manned the Allianz Arena touchline during his brief tenure at Bayern Munich—which many felt ended very prematurely—returns to the “home” dugout on Friday evening in hopes of providing the ideal beginning to Germany’s most recent attempt at European fame.
Die Mannscahft are competing in their first Euros under Joachim Low, and this summer’s championships are only their second competition since the World Cup-winning manager resigned at the conclusion of Euro 2020, which resulted in a heartbreaking last-16 loss to well-known opponents England.
Eighteen months on from their disastrous World Cup 2022 performance under Hansi Flick, Germany are unsurprisingly regarded as the outright favourites to top a section also housing Hungary and Switzerland, and following an underwhelming start under Nagelsmann, the Euros hosts enter Friday’s opening act with the wind in their sails.
Indeed, Germany’s record from four friendly matches in 2024 reads three wins and one draw – defeating powerhouses France and the Netherlands in March before drawing with Ukraine and edging out Greece earlier this month – and as hosts, Nagelsmann’s men did not have to navigate the rigmarole of qualifying.
However, such circumstances means that Die Mannschaft have not taken to the field in competitive action since their inconsequential 4-2 Costa Rica success in their 2022 World Cup finale – the 12th Euros/World Cup game on the spin where they failed to keep a clean sheet – but they have reached the semi-finals on each of the last three occasions that they have hosted a major tournament.
As the tournament hosts look to restore the former glories of the 1972, 1980 and 1996 European champions, Scotland have far more modest aspirations in mind, as the British nation will play just their 10th-ever match at the Euros finals under the bright Allianz Arena lights.
Friday’s ‘visitors’ at least managed to claim one group-stage triumph at the 1992 and 1996 editions before bowing out at the first hurdle, but upon their long-awaited return to the biggest continental stage in 2021, their search for even a single victory ended in abject failure.
Accruing just one point from nine on offer at Euro 2020 preceded Scotland’s failure to end their World Cup Finals drought – which now stretches back to 1998 – and even though Euro 2024 qualifying was a tale of two halves, a magnificent first half proved sufficient to send Steve Clarke’s men to Germany.
Indeed, 2008 and 2012 champions Spain were among Scotland’s victims in their astounding five-match winning sequence in qualifying before they went winless in each of their final three, but with their form suffering a recent nosedive, Clarke’s men arrive in Munich boasting just one win from their last nine in all tournaments.
Even then a 2-0 triumph over perpetual whipping boys Gibraltar was not much to shout about, and since a shock 1-0 friendly victory in 1999, Scotland have failed to triumph in any of their last four clashes against Germany, most recently going down in a pair of Euro 2016 qualifiers by an aggregate scoreline of 5-3.
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