SCOTLAND are no strangers to facing formidable opponents in the opening game of a major tournament having come up against the might of reigning world champions Brazil in the Stade de France in Paris when France ’98 got underway.
Taking on hosts Germany in front of a sell-out crowd in the 70,000 capacity Allianz Arena in Munich in the curtain raiser for the Euro 2024 finals at 9pm on Friday, June 14, though, will perhaps be the toughest test the national team has ever faced.
Orgasmic groans rang out around Elbphilharmonie here in Hamburg last night as the draw for next year’s tournament was made due to an unfortunate act of cyber espionage by the social media saboteur Daniel “Jarvo69” Jarvis.
But there were gasps of disbelief throughout Scotland as first former French internationalist Blaise Matuidi put our brave boys in Group A with the four-time World Cup winners and then Spanish great David Silva placed them in second spot in the section.
The eyes of the entire continent will be on Steve Clarke’s side when Julian Nagelsmann’s team – Antonio Rudiger, Ilkay Gundogan, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller et al - launch their bid to lift the Henri Delaunay Trophy for the fourth time in their history.
Hungary, who went undefeated in qualifying and topped Group G, and Switzerland, who only won four times in Group I but somehow managed to sneak second spot, will also be vying with Andy Robertson and his compatriots for a place in the last 16 of the competition.
Both countries are above Scotland in the FIFA World Rankings at this moment in time – but Clarke will be quietly confident that his charges can go through for the first time ever given how assuredly they have performed this year and the fact they overcame former winners Spain at home back in March.
The glamour opener, however, was all that Europe’s assembled media wanted to speak to him about once the formalities had drawn to a conclusion. The 60-year-old is not prone to outward displays or emotion or to making outlandish predictions. However, he clearly feels his boys will rise to the occasion and give their rivals a serious test.
“I remember almost nothing about the France 98’ game against Brazil because I didn’t get selected to go. I was in the huff so I never watched it!
“It should be a good occasion against Germany, the hosts, in the opening game. It’s special to be part of. We have to make sure it’s not about the occasion, it’s about the match.
“But big players play in big games. So hopefully we’ll have big players on June 14. Hopefully we can set the tournament off with a good match. We look forward to it, it's an exciting draw. I don't think it mattered who we were going to get, it was always going to be exciting for us.
“We have to make sure we turn up and play as well as we can against them. Sometimes in the opening game of a tournament there can be an upset. Hopefully it will be this time. All the matches in the group will be competitive, it will be tough for us. But we’re looking forward to that challenge.
“For the last four years, we’ve tried to improve game by game. We feel we’re on a path where we’ve done okay. But we also think we can do a bit better. So we’ll work hard and try to be as good as we can be for the tournament next summer.”
There is sure to be a huge contingent of Tartan Army footsoldiers in the Allianz for the Germany game – far more than their official 10,000 allocation no doubt – and Clarke is certain that will help Scotland’s cause enormously.
He was disappointed when the Covid-19 pandemic restricted the number of fans who could watch their Euro 2020 matches against the Czech Republic, England and Croatia.
“This time, without Covid restrictions, it’s going to be like a normal tournament,” he said. “The Tartan Army will come here and enjoy themselves in a different country.
“I’m sure they’ll behave themselves. It will be great. They’ll have a great time. The German people will love them and they’ll love being here.”
“But for us, it’s just to be competitive. We want to come to Germany and play as well as we can. We’ll count our points up at the end and see where it takes us.
“First of all, I need to go away and do my homework. I need to prepare for these matches. Then we’ll see what happens in the summer. I’ll speak to a few of the players soon and see what their mood is. But they’ll be happy with the draw, they’ll be excited. They’ll look forward to the occasion.
“You have to give me time to look at the other teams, watch some videos and some games. I’ve been concentrating on Scotland games so I need a bit of time. I haven’t seen much of Hungary so I need to do my preparation. It’s three teams we haven’t come up against recently so maybe in March I’ll know more about them.”
The Elbphilharmonie, known locally as The Elphi, in Hamburg was a spectacular venue for the draw.
Designed to be a major landmark in the city as well as a “cultural monument for everyone” when it was opened seven years ago, the 100 metre tall concert hall is situated on the Northern Elbe at the western tip of the Grasbrook and can be seen for miles around.
The glass façade of the building was intended by architects Herzog and de Meruon to be reminiscent of icebergs, a ship’s sails, waves.
Scotland will be hoping to make a few ripples, a big splash even, when they play in the Euro 2024 finals. Their manager Steve Clarke is clearly cautiously optimistic that his men can, despite Germany being first up, do so.
