Football Match Preview: Germany – Scotland |14.06 2024

Germany and Scotland’s first-ever international game was on 1 June 1929. It finished with a score of 1-1. Almost 100 years later, both teams will meet again during the opening match of EURO 2024, with the former slightly poised to come out victorious. But then again, we understand that it’s football, and anything can happen. Scotland has not won any of their last four matches against the German national team. Likewise, Germany recently parted ways with Hansi Flick following a 4-1 home defeat to Japan, their fourth loss in five games. A team of betting experts from aussiecasinoreviewer.com sat down to explore different talking points of the fixture, including team analysis, key storyline, and predictions from pundits. Read on to find out the details.

Team Analysis

Germany didn’t participate in the EURO 2024 qualification campaign as a host country. Nonetheless, Die Mannschaft played friendlies regularly during the period. In contrast, Scotland enjoyed a historical qualification campaign, winning their first 5 games. Although the Tartan Army has been handed a tough test, their famous win over Spain to finish second in group A indicates a good fight between the two at EURO 2024. 

Germany 

Germany appointed Julian Nagelsmann as Manager in September 2023. The former Bayern Munich coach replaced Hansi Flick following a 4-1 thrashing at home to Japan. Germany also lost to Belgium, Poland, and Columbia. The game against Japan was the fourth loss in five games. Although Nagelsmann secured a win over the USA, they drew against Mexico and lost against Turkey. The only glimmer was the win against France. Regardless, Die Mannschaft is currently on its worst run since the World Cup. 

According to experts, the once-feared German football machine is slipping due to overlying on a particular playing style. As a result, they have become predictable. The 4-2-3-1 formation that won the 2014 World Cup and EURO 2016 semifinal is no longer suited for the current players. The team lacks quality in the center-forward and full-back positions. Meanwhile, they’ve also struggled with finding a proper strike since Miroslav Klose. Although Kai Havertz and Timo Werner have tried, both players are not close. As a result, the burden of scoring rests on Thomas Muller, an attacking midfielder, and 31-year-old Niclas Fullkrug. The defenders have a similar story.

Despite the setback, Die Mannschaft could bounce back right before the Euros. Apart from appointing Nagelsmann, the squad features new talents. Individual brilliance from the likes of Niclas Fullkrug, Joshua Kimmich, Kai Havertz, Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala, IIkay Gundogan, and Florian Wirtz, among others, is sufficient to turn the tide. Most importantly, they must demonstrate cohesion, resilience, and a fighting spirit. 

Scotland

The Tartan Army is in the form of their lives, considering they finished bottom of Group D at the Euros three years ago. Tartan Army won 5 EURO 2024 qualification fixtures, drew two, and only lost one – putting up the second-best performance in Group A. Scotland scored 17 goals. 

Steve Clarke uses a 3-4-2-1 formation that allows the team to maximize limited chances. Two fullbacks offer a dynamic swinging defense, and three central defenders shift to form a flat back five. The wide forwards defend the flakes and support Dykes up front. Key players like Andy Robertson and Hickey transition defense into attack, making life difficult for opponents. The most probable tactic is that Scotland will attempt to force Die Mannschaft to constantly navigate the wide space. At the same time, Dykes will push opposing defenders deeper, creating spaces for counterattacks from wide spaces, just like they did against Spain. 

Head-to-Head Record 

We’ve seen Germany vs Scotland face off five times since 1992. Scotland hasn’t won the tie but managed a 1-1 draw in 2003. Germany won 2:0 in 1992, 2:1 in 2003, 2:1 in 2014, and 3:2 in 2015. In the last 5 fixtures, both teams managed to score 13 goals. In fact, from 1929, the only times both teams didn’t score in a fixture was four times, after playing 17 matches altogether. Given their recent forms, predictions from experts suggest at least two goals in the opening Euro 2024 game.

Key Storylines 

The opening match of the EURO 2024 is still about two months away, so there isn’t much information on squads or lineups and their injuries or fitness yet. Regardless, analysts have enough information to paint a picture based on recent performances. Julian Nagelsmann called up Chris Führich, Robert Andric, and Kevin Behrens for the friendlies against the USA and Mexico. Likewise, Mats Hummels was absent for two years. Behrens plays a bit like Niclas Füllkrug and scored four goals in the Bundesliga already – all headers. Now, Die Mannschaft has two natural No.9 for EURO 2024. 

Chris Führich plays like Marco Reus and scored 13 goals in seven matches for VFB Stuttgart this season. As a result, he may prove a deadly attacker in the fixture. Robert Andrich played a solid role in Bayer Leverkusen’s defense this season and plays similarly to Sami Khedira. Nagelsmann explained he wanted a different No.6 and seems to have found an incredibly active defender and a bit of a destroyer in Chris Führich. Nagelsmann relies on quick counter-pressing and rapid, short passes. Given the enthusiasm in the squad, he could be the spark that lightens up Germany’s EURO 2024 campaign. 

Scotland can keep playing the same way they have throughout the qualifiers. After all, it got them this far. Besides Steve Clark’s unbreakable 3-4-2-1 wall, improvements like Scott McTominay, Andy Robertson, and John McGinn can affect the game. Unlike their opponent, the Tartan Army hasn’t enjoyed much success in Europe. However, based on their recent form, the squad will attempt to capitalize on their momentum and fashion a way out of the group stage. 

Predictions and Pre-match Analysis 

Germany vs Scotland opens the EURO 2024 tournament in Munich on June 14. Germany’s betting odds improved significantly when Toni Kross announced he would come out of retirement after three years. Still, Die Mannschaft has won just three out of the last 11 games. Nagelsmann told his players to study Germany’s basketball team, which won the World Cup. In contrast, Scotland is looking to make it out of a major international tournament group state for the first time in their history. If it works, the Tartan Army could clash with England, Denmark, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Italy, Croatia, or Albania.

Based on the trend, the host could bring the heat and beat Scotland as they have over the last matches. That said, we could also see an upset. Die Mannschaft have lower odds to win since they are the favorites. The winning probability is 76.34% (Germany), 8.33% (Scotland), and 16.67% (draw). One thing we’re confident of is that the opening match will be a goal-fest. Likely factors that may affect the result include home advantage, future injuries, availability, and weather conditions. Scotland may face additional pressure playing away from home. At the end of the day, it comes down to tactical approaches by the coaches. Likewise, the mental resilience in the high-stakes match. 

Final Words

EURO 2024 will kick off in June – a football showdown between a squad looking to make a name for itself and another looking for redemption. Kickoff is at 19:00 UTC at the Allianz Arena on June 14. If you fancy sports betting on EURO 2024, use our analysis to examine squad forms or tactics for the tournament in Munich.

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