Scotland have never qualified out of a group at a major finals. Aside from taking on the host country, Clarke’s side face Switzerland and Hungary and neither of them come with the promise of three points. One win could be enough to take Scotland into the knockout stages, while four points would surely guarantee that landmark feat. Goal difference could come into consideration so if the Scots are to fail to beat Germany then the narrowest of defeats is preferred.

“We learnt some lessons from the Greece game which will be useful against Scotland,” the Dortmund striker said. “I’m interested to see how the coaches will prepare us for the game.

“I watched a Scotland match and they played differently to how I expected. They press very high. Against us, there’ll be phases where they’ll sit deeper. They try to get into shooting situations as quickly as possible, so it’ll be important that we counter that and not let them show their dynamism.

“We’ll prepare intensively this week. It’s not just about preparing for the opponent, but also keeping our energy levels up and improving ourselves.”

As another packed season of club football comes to an end, the European Championship in Germany is fast approaching.

The summer tournament bookends a busy 2023/24 season and one that has seen repeated calls for action regarding fixture congestion and player welfare.

So it is no surprise that several important players are set to miss Euro 2024 through injury, with many others battling to be fit in time for the opening round of group games, which begins on 14 June.

Stars including Serge Gnabry, David Alaba and Gavi were already ruled out due to ACL tears and muscle injuries even prior to the squads being announced, while Luke Shaw was included but faces a race to be fit for England’s tournament opener against Serbia on 16 June.

Others suffered the distressing process of being called up for the Euros – only to then either suffer injuries or assessments which suggest they won’t be able to play a full part, and have since been axed. Below is a run-down of those players who confirmed to be missing the tournament through injuries suffered since the squads were announced, as well as several others who are in a race against time to be fit for the group stages.

Miguel Delaney: This is the first tournament since 2016 where hundreds of thousands will travel, and in a country that is so easy to get around, with a rich football culture. While the game should of course be spread around, there are certain factors that just make for a great atmosphere. Germany will have that. It’s also nice to have football without all the modern trappings of the club game.

Richard Jolly: The football. Dull answer, but looking at the teams involved, there should be some superb knockout ties. Groups B and D look terrific, albeit with the caveat that if three teams go through, some of the jeopardy is gone. And for many another country in other pools, the opportunity to get out of the group imbues it with a sense of possibility.

Jack Rathborn: England in a crunch knock-out tie, with the game in the balance, and just what Southgate does next in what could be his final tournament in charge. Will he gamble? With outstanding attacking depth in the final third, the nation is desperate for an aggressive approach in the knockout stages. It could define his Three Lions legacy.

Lawrence Ostlere: Watching teams like Austria and Hungary, who come into the Euros with some form and plenty of attacking intent, and not much to lose. They should add some fun to the group stage and potentially shake up the traditional order of things, given how all the old powers look fallible.

Luke Baker: After the Covid-hit Euros of 2021 and Qatar’s winter wonderland World Cup in 2022, it’s been six years since we had a proper summer tournament with full stadiums, full pubs and that relentless optimism in the sunshine that only international football can bring. Even if it inevitably ends in crushing heartbreak.

Karl Matchett: Going. Sorry that’s a bit selfish but after about eight tournaments working from afar, being in Germany for this one will be peak.

Alex Pattle: A long overdue tournament with a defined personality, courtesy of the host nation. After a soulless winter World Cup in Qatar in 2022, a scattered and Covid-hit Euros in 2021, and a slightly flat Russian World Cup in 2018, German fans and cities can lend real charm to Euro 2024.

Jamie Braidwood: After being in Australia for the Women’s World Cup, the sense of feeling between host nation and team as they gather momentum throughout the tournament. Germany’s early exits from the past two World Cups have been entertaining shocks – but we want them in the latter stages of the knockouts. A young, fresh team could deliver something beautiful.

Michael Jones: What type of impact the old guard has compared to the new. I’m backing experience to win out over youth – which isn’t great news for England’s young squad – though it would bring a resurgence for historically great teams like Germany and possibly Portugal.

Kieran Jackson: Netherlands vs Austria, 25 June. To be specific, five minutes before kick-off. As F1 correspondent, I’ve witnessed the regular dominance of Dutch hero Max Verstappen at Austrian-founded Red Bull for two years and, unashamedly, I can now whistle both national anthems without hesitation. I just hope those in the office have earplugs. More seriously, the simple summer-tournament feel with no Covid restrictions for the first time in six years.

Sonia Twigg: The mouth-watering prospect of a quarter-final clash between Germany and Spain, the latter of whom haven’t won a men’s tournament since 2012. Also, fans being allowed to fully experience a European tournament without any coronavirus restrictions.

Harry Latham-Coyle: There is much within modern club football that nauseates, but major international tournaments retain a certain purity and charm. For so many fans, it is around these events that formative memories are made, bonding along and across national lines.

Germany’s late World Cup-winning captain and coach Franz Beckenbauer will be honoured by UEFA at the Euro 2024 opening ceremony in the Munich Football Arena on Friday, European soccer’s governing body said.

Beckenbauer, one of his country’s greatest players, captained West Germany to a European Championship triumph in 1972 and a World Cup success in 1974 before winning the World Cup again as manager in 1990. He died in January aged 78.

The opening ceremony will see Beckenbauer’s wife Heidi carry the Henri Delaunay Cup – the tournament’s championship trophy – along with Germany’s two Euro-winning captains Bernard Dietz and Juergen Klinsmann. This will ensure “all three of Germany’s UEFA Euro triumphs are reflected,” UEFA said in a statement on Tuesday.

The venue of the ceremony is also home to Bayern Munich, the club where Beckenbauer played for over a decade, winning three successive European Cups from 1974 to 1976. The opening ceremony will precede Germany’s opening match in the tournament against Scotland in Group A.

Miguel Delaney: As with the French team as a whole, it’s maybe best to go obvious. Mbappe will be primed to go, invigorated by his move to Real Madrid but also keen to make up for a last disappointing club season with Paris Saint-Germain. There’s also what he did at the last tournament, when he was so close to emulating Pele with his first two World Cups. He has a keen sense of history, and will surely be ready to seize the moment.

Richard Jolly: Mbappe. The best player on the planet now and perhaps, in leaving Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid, with an urge to prove it on the European stage now, to accompany his World Cup exploits.

Jack Rathborn: Toni Kroos. The perfect end to a glittering career? A Champions League title in his final Real Madrid game at Wembley Stadium, then a European Championship at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. Kroos has enough help to protect his legs in Robert Andrich and could prove decisive in blockbuster knockout ties.

Lawrence Ostlere: Florian Wirtz. The Leverkusen midfielder had a sensational season and could turn out to be the star of the show, should Germany go deep.

Luke Baker: Jude Bellingham. After his brilliant season in Madrid, it’s just set up for him to be England’s talisman. Roaming as a hybrid No 8/10, he can cause havoc among opposition defences.

Karl Matchett: Torn between Kroos and Griezy for the actual best player, though the player who wins the award will probably just be the winning team’s top scorer.

Alex Pattle: Bellingham. Of course this relies on a deep run for England (more on that later), but even if they don’t lift the trophy, I can see Bellingham notching his fair share of goals and assists. It’s also easy to imagine his passion capturing English hearts and foreign sympathies along the way.

Jamie Braidwood: Antoine Griezmann. The 33-year-old has almost redefined himself as the perfect major tournament player: a selfless star who puts the needs of the team above himself, a big-game character who combines a tireless workrate with a silky touch. He will win the golden ball he deserved at the World Cup!

Michael Jones: Toni Kroos. He has just left Real Madrid with another Champions League title and brings the experience and winning mentality to a German side looking to get back on top. I’m expecting big things from his last outing in a major tournament before retirement.

Kieran Jackson: Jamal Musiala. Germany’s poster-boy – who did feature for England at under-21 level – has an opportunity to become the host nation’s hero over the next month or so. An outstanding talent who can create chances on his own. Germany will flourish if the Bayern playmaker flourishes.

Sonia Twigg: Bellingham. Wearing England’s No 10 shirt for the tournament, he is likely to be allowed to play further forward and build on the exceptional season he has already had for Real Madrid, which culminated in the Champions League title.

Harry Latham-Coyle: Kane.

“Basically at every tournament on home soil (there is pressure). It is even more special,” Toni Kroos told a press conference.

“You get feedback instantly, the positive and the negative. We have a big responsibility for the atmosphere in the country for the next few weeks. We know what this is about but it is also a great honour and joy to play this tournament. How many players do get to play a home tournament.

“We know the pressure is there, we don’t want to brush it aside, but we have to enjoy this pressure. We want to influence the atmosphere positively and we have to make amends for past tournaments. You know what is possible when you see the squad quality we have. But we also see that during some phases in matches there is room for improvement.

“There is no better opportunity to show in a tournament that we can play well. That is the task. If we want to play a good role then it is inevitable that we must minimise these phases when we don’t play well as a team. These phases where we have problems, because there are teams coming (at the tournament) that will punish us and then the tournament is over.”

Scotland have won four of their 17 encounters with Germany over the years.

Their last win was 1-0 in 1999, when Don Hutchinson scored for the Tartan Army.

Miguel Delaney: Romelu Lukaku. Actually a rare player at these Euros with a prolific international scoring record, as well as a forgiving opening round with a team that still has talent. Lukaku is also more rested than we’ve seen him at most recent tournaments.

Richard Jolly: Kane. Tempted to say Mbappe, though tipping France for much else suggests it could be him. But England’s group and potential last-16 match, if they win it, offers the sort of possibility for Kane to top-score, even if he does not find the net at the business end of the tournament.

Jack Rathborn: Gianluca Scamacca. A fine season with Atalanta after a forgettable spell with West Ham. The 25-year-old can translate that form, with 12 goals since March, to change a pretty ordinary return of one goal in 16 caps so far at international level. Albania, up first, brings an opportunity to get out in front.

Lawrence Ostlere: Kane. He should get plenty of chances with a raft of creative players around him, and it is easy to envisage him scoring a few penalties along the way.

Luke Baker: I’ll again go bold and say Kai Havertz. I think Germany will go well and Havertz, after growing in confidence with Arsenal over the second half of the campaign, is likely to be the hosts’ first-choice No 9, at least initially.

Karl Matchett: Is he still elite? No. Should he be starting for Portugal? No. Will Cristiano Ronaldo still score two tap-ins, a header and a penalty in a very, very average group stage? Probably. Can easily see a case where a group-stage bully ends up the winner this time around, so I’ll go with him to be different. Might need one in the knockouts, but Martinez’s inability to remove him from the line-up should cater to that.

Alex Pattle: Kylian Mbappe. A pretty safe answer, admittedly, although I don’t expect any of France’s group-stage rivals to bleed tons of goals. Rather, I think consistent contributions over the course of a deep run will get Mbappe to the Golden Boot.

Jamie Braidwood: Mbappe. Failing to score at Euro 2020 will be a further shot of motivation. That tournament will have hurt.

Michael Jones: I’m going for Ronaldo. Since Roberto Martinez took over as manager, questions over Ronaldo’s place in the team have died down. He’s going to start and he’s going to score goals. With a relatively easy group to get through, Ronaldo could light up the Euros one last time.

Kieran Jackson: Kane. On the assumption he is fully fit, Europe’s top marksman should be eyeing another Golden Boot after claiming the prize at the 2018 World Cup. Group games against Serbia and Slovenia in particular should see the Bayern Munich striker have ample chances and, if not, England always seem to get a penalty or two to kickstart Kane’s tally.

Sonia Twigg: Mbappe. It is hard to see a situation where France do not go deep into the tournament, and Mbappe is at the forefront of their impressive firepower. Because of how good the team is and how many games they will likely play, it is hard to look past the French forward.

Harry Latham-Coyle: Niclas Fullkrug. The resurgence of the traditional No 9 has been a pleasant, surprising trend of the last few months across European football, and it is an archetype that tends to thrive in tournament football. Fullkrug may not start the tournament in Germany’s first-choice side but a couple of impactful bench cameos could set up a summer to remember for the Dortmund striker.