Munich, Germany: Scotland coach Steve Clarke said his team should "fear no one" ahead of Friday's opening match against Euro 2024 hosts Germany in Munich. Clarke hopes to become the first man to lead Scotland into the knockout phase of a major tournament, but his side face a tough assignment against the three-time European champions. "We have a lot of respect for the host nation and we know they're a good team," said Clarke.
"It's a difficult game. One of the mantras I've had is respect everyone and fear no one." Scotland are taking part in the Euros for the fourth time.
In 11 previous finals appearances, including eight World Cups, they have never made it beyond the group stage. Clarke's side impressed in qualifying from a group featuring Spain and Norway, but went seven matches without a win before last week's victory over Gibraltar. Clarke told reporters his team had their sights set on reaching the knockouts rather than putting all his focus on the tournament opener, calling it a "sideshow".
"We know it's a big game, but it's the opening game of a four-team section. We know what we need to do to qualify." Scotland captain Andy Robertson said the pressure was all on Germany, who have failed to get past the last 16 at any major tournament dating back to 2016.
"We're excited. We know the games are close and we know how fast the tournament can go by you. We can create a bit of history.
No real pressure on us, no real expectation from the outside world. We've waited a long tim.
