Euro 2024 LIVE: Latest England news and Germany vs Scotland buildup

Euro 2024 has finally arrived and Germany from tomorrow play hosts to the continent, opening up the month-long event with a Group A clash against Scotland.

Confidence has been building among the Germans that they are peaking at the right time after a turbulent period under Julian Nagelsmann, with some key players looking in strong form and the return of Toni Kroos boosting their elite quality in the ranks.

As for the Scots, Steve Clarke has had to overcome a number of setbacks but being at the tournament is already a big sign of progress – and with three potentially getting through to the knockouts from the four-nation group stage, the head coach will know it’s not necessarily all about tonight’s result.

Even so, they’ll want to show they are ready to take on the best and cause an upset, with the eyes of the world on Munich on day one.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.

Wholesome content to pass on to anybody you feel might benefit:

As new research reveals more than 1.9million over 65s will be watching the biggest football tournament alone this summer, Asda has announced the launch of “Nanzones” – the first-ever football fanzones designed for elderly people to gather, socialise and enjoy the sport together.

With traditional fanzones often overwhelmingly populated by more boisterous crowds, in a bid to combat loneliness and isolation, the new dedicated Nanzone spaces have been specially created to cater to the older generation to ensure they don’t end up following the football alone at home.

The first Nanzones will open at Asda stores in Watford, Manchester Eastlands and Liverpool Arrow Park on the 20th June for the England vs Denmark game. Each Nanzone will give local elderly people the chance to unite over food, drink and football. The fanzones for senior citizens are completely free to enter and the areas will be decked out with football decorations and refreshments, offering a safe and friendly environment.  

Remember that octopus who predicted a bunch of results at a tournament a while back? Since then we’ve largely been restricted to fairly boring supercomputers doing the job, along with a flash-in-the-pan collection of llamas, otters, a guinea pig and “Big Head the sea turtle”, which I don’t personally remember but apparently was a thing.

Anyway, this year we can introduce…Walter the orangutan, apparently.

We are just under 35 hours away from the first game of Euro 2024 kicking off, which means it’s time for you to get completely up to date with absolutely everything about it.

Fortunately, we’ve done the job for you: our comprehensive previews of each group give you team background, a player to watch from each, odds on group winners and even a prediction. Work your way through this bunch:

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.

Here is a run-down of those players who are 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…

Steve Clarke does NOT endorse this article – and that’s fine, we’ll get back to Steve Clarke in a moment. In case you hadn’t heard, Scotland are heading to just a second men’s major international tournament in 26 years. After the subdued, Covid-restricted taste-test of Euro 2020 three years ago, Euro 2024 in Germany is the real deal: the Tartan Army will be back, released onto the continent in their tens of thousands and in full voice, buoyant after a qualification campaign that taught a nation how to dream again. Nothing could possibly lessen the excitement now. Nothing.

Hang on though. Injuries to who? One win since when? Germany are finally themselves again? Steady on. This wasn’t going to be easy, but squeezing past the minnows of Gibraltar in a friendly last week did not suggest Scotland will be going to the Euros on a wave of optimism. Clarke was hardly echoing the hubris of Ally MacLeod in 1978 when the Scotland manager took a pop at “negative Normans” in the press. “What’s there to be negative about? Why not just relax and enjoy it,” he said. “I just don’t understand why anybody would be negative about a second European Championships in a row.”

Clarke is not wrong – but there are, admittedly, some big issues ahead of Friday night’s opener against the hosts.

Jamie Braidwood is on location in Germany – and assesses Scotland’s challenges and prospects ahead of their first game:

England have come a long way since Gareth Southgate’s first game as England manager, back in a distant dream when Joe Hart was in goal, Gary Cahill was the defensive rock and Theo Walcott was on the wing.

It hasn’t been quick, and it hasn’t been linear, but England are now a much better side than the one Roy Hodgson watched fall off a cliff at Euro 2016. Following England still ends in crushing disappointment, obviously. But now that disappointment comes with feelings of hope and pride and excitement about the next time, rather than a soul-crushing bout of existential dread.

That’s progress. England used to meet top-tier nations in knockout games with a defensive gameplan and hope that one of their superstars would do something special. Now they go toe to toe with the best, players pass the ball to each other confidently, in tight spaces, and try to impose their way. That’s progress too.

Yet this might be the end game – Southgate needs to win Euro 2024 or his journey is surely over. Can he harness the learnings of past tournaments to finally win one? Ahead of what might be his last hurrah, we trace the evolution of Southgate’s England from a humble qualifier back in 2016 through four eras to, perhaps, their final destination in Germany this summer.

Lawrence Ostlere’s epic delve into the history and progression of the Three Lions under Southgate:

The Football Association haven’t yet spoken to any potential successors to Gareth Southgate, nor received any approaches for the England manager, but say a succession plan is in place. The 53-year-old has strongly suggested he will leave the role after Euro 2024 unless the team wins the competition, and even that may not keep him in the job. The FA will still seek to review the tournament as a whole no matter what happens, and would naturally be keen to keep Southgate on. That is a sentiment shared by the squad.

More on Southgate’s future from Miguel Delaney:

Good morning and welcome to the final pre-tournament day of buildup towards Euro 2024!

We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates and news here on the Independent, including England team briefings, player access later in the afternoon – and of course all the buildup towards Scotland facing Germany tomorrow night.

Stay tuned – the Euros are just around the corner.