COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — Scotland was routed 5-1 by Germany in the opening game of the European Championship and on Wednesday takes on a Switzerland team that beat Hungary 3-1 in its first match in Group A. The teams play at Cologne Stadium. Kickoff is at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT). Here’s what to know about the match:
Match facts
— Scotland has never advanced to the knockout stage of the Euros and its start at this tournament could hardly have been worse after the humbling defeat to Germany. It still has a good chance of making the round of 16 as the four best-performing third-place teams advance to the knockout round.
— Switzerland’s impressive start against Hungary came despite its preparations being disrupted by issues regarding the playing field at its Stuttgart training base. The Swiss team filed a formal complaint with UEFA and moved its practices.
— Scotland’s last Euros win was in 1996 when it beat the Swiss 1-0 in a group game.
— Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka is hoping to complete an outstanding year with success at the Euros after helping Bayer Leverkusen win the German league and cup double.
Team news
— Scotland will need to replace Ryan Porteous, who is suspended after being sent off against Germany.
— Switzerland did not report any injuries.
By the numbers
— Scotland has never progressed beyond the group stage of a Euros.
— Switzerland has never won more than one game during the group stage of a Euros.
— With seven goals, Scott McTominay was Scotland’s leading scorer during qualifying. He failed to register a single shot against Germany.
What they’re saying
— “We got a lot of things wrong and we’ve got to put it right in the next game. Try not to concede five goals. Give a better message.” — Scotland manager Steve Clarke.
— “We made some tweaks following our friendlies ahead of the Hungary game. We normally play with a lot of possession but we have changed a few things to make us more potent.” — Switzerland coach Murat Yakin.
— “The other night wasn’t easy. Came up against a really good team and we didn’t show up how we wanted to, and we got punished for it. But we need to move on.” — Scotland captain Andrew Robertson.
— “They (Scotland) will fight for every ball — we know the spirit of the team. They won’t make it easy for us and won’t give up, so we just want to play our game and have the same control as we showed (against Hungary).” — Switzerland midfielder Vincent Sierro.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024
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