Germany vs Scotland: Euro 2024 kick-off time, TV details and how to watch Bristol City duo

Bristol City duo Ross McCrorie and Tommy Conway will be part of the Scotland squad that kicks off Euro 2024 with a strong challenge against hosts Germany.

Conway was a late call-up to the squad following Lyndon Dykes’ injury and the 21-year-old may have to settle for a place on the bench as Southampton’s Che Adams looks most likely to lead the line for the Tartan Army.

But opinion appears divided over the identity of Scotland’s first-choice defender with McCrorie in the starting XI against Gibraltar, with Celtic’s Anthony Ralston then dropped for the Finland friendly.

Group A sides Switzerland and Hungary play tomorrow and, as Steve Clarke was at pains to point out, it’s only the first game of three so it won’t define Scotland’s tournament.

Then again, while on paper it should prove the toughest of the three challenges, it is a free kick given so much focus and expectation on Germany, as optimism has steadily built leading up to competition.

And while they are not considered among the favourites, Die Mannschaft have failed to get out of their group at the last two World Cups and only reached the last 16 in the last European Championship, which seems the bare minimum for them at the moment. edition.

Venue and start time

The tournament opener takes place at the Allianz Arena in Munich and kicks off at 8pm (UK time).

How to track

The match will be broadcast on ITV and STV and can be streamed via ITVX and STV Player. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m., with the opening ceremony also taking place.

BBC Radio 5Live and talkSPORT are also broadcasting from Germany, with the former’s program starting at 18:30, while the latter will be broadcast at the Allianz Arena from 19:00.

Team news

Scotland captain Andy Robertson and striker Lawrence Shankland have been cleared to play after picking up injuries earlier this week in training. Robertson has been a real cause for concern but should line up on the left-back, while midfielder Stuart Armstrong is expected to make the bench after overcoming a muscle problem.

The hosts lost promising young midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic earlier in the week to illness, with the 20-year-old replaced by the experienced Emre Can. Otherwise, manager Julian Nagelsmann has no serious injury problems.

Guide to forms and how they got here

As hosts, Germany earned an automatic path to the last 24. In their last 10 matches they have won five, drawn two and lost three. They were held to a goalless draw by Ukraine in the warm-up before beating Greece 2-1.

Scotland qualified after finishing second in their group, ahead of Norway and Georgia who also reached the tournament via the play-offs, but in their last 10 games, no team in the tournament has a worse record (2 wins, 3 wins, 5 wins). They beat Gibraltar 2-0 in a friendly last week before drawing 2-2 with Finland at Hampden Park.

Probable formations

Germany (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, Rudiger, Tah, Mittelstadt; Andrich, Kroos; Musiala, Gundogan, Wirtz; Havertz

Scotland (3-5-1-1): Gunn; Hendry, McKenna, Tierney; Ralston, McTominey, McGregor, Gilmour, Robertson; McGinn; Adams

What the managers say

Julian Nagelsmann: “We are under more pressure than the Scots. We want to win the opening game. They also ask that we believe in ourselves. We have good players and we have shown mentality in the last few games. We have everything we need and we want to bring it to the field.

“Scotland are a very good team who have four or five important players in their group. They have made a lot of crosses. They have made great progress in the way they play football. Their mentality is definitely outstanding.”

Steve Clarke: “We know it’s a big game, but for us it’s the opening game of a four-team, three-game sectional and we know what we have to do to qualify for the sectional and that’s what we’re focused on.

“The enormity of the opening game is a bit of a show and we hope we don’t get too involved in that. “For sure, it’s a difficult game. One of the mantras we’ve always had is respect everybody and fear nobody, so we come here with a lot of respect for the host nation, we know they’re a good team, but hopefully on that night we can show that we are a good team as well.”

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