Sports Mole rounds up everything you need to know about today’s Euro 2024 action, including fixtures, predicted lineups, how to watch and the best storylines.
Mere weeks after a gruelling domestic season concluded for the continent’s most celebrated talents, 24 teams and over 600 players must now go again with Euro 2024 supremacy at stake.
Only three years have passed since Italy’s exhilarating run to glory at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament, culminating in their penalty-shootout success over England at Wembley in the final, and the Azzurri are present in Germany to defend their crown after their World Cup 2022 failure.
However, the likes of England, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and hosts Germany will be among the leading contenders to dethrone Italy as kings of Europe, where the new continental champions will be crowned in Berlin on July 14.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up everything you need to know about today’s Euro 2024 action, including which teams are in action, how to watch and what to keep a particular eye out for.
TODAY’S EURO 2024 FIXTURES
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The wait is finally over for the expectant Euro 2024 aficionados, who will witness Germany and Scotland square up to one another in Friday’s opening Group A encounter.
The inaugural match of the 2024 tournament takes place at Bayern Munich’s iconic Allianz Arena venue, with kickoff scheduled for 8pm UK time (9pm local time).
TODAY’S PREDICTED LINEUPS AT EURO 2024
Germany: Neuer; Kimmich, Tah, Rudiger, Mittelstadt; Kroos, Andrich; Musiala, Gundogan, Wirtz; Havertz
Scotland: Gunn; Hendry, Hanley, Tierney; Ralston, McTominay, Gilmour, Robertson; McGinn, Christie; Shankland
HOW TO WATCH TODAY’S EURO 2024 ACTION
Viewers in England can tune into Germany’s clash with Scotland on ITV1 and the respective streaming service ITVX, with coverage starting 90 minutes before kickoff at 6.30pm and ending at 10.45pm.
In addition, those in Scotland can watch on STV and the STV Player, which will start and end at the same time as the ITV option.
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR IN TODAY’S EURO 2024 MATCHES
Germany vs. Scotland
The first match of the 2024 European Championships hardly needs any more pre-game razzmatazz, although the occasion may be a particularly poignant one for Nagelsmann, who steps foot onto the Allianz Arena turf not long after his sacking from Bayern Munich.
The 36-year-old shoves sentiment aside for his first competitive game in charge of Die Mannschaft, though, as one of the pre-tournament favourites bid to banish the demons of their dismal 2018 World Cup, Euro 2020 and 2022 World Cup campaigns.
Meanwhile, Scotland gear up for Euros campaign number four with the goal of finally progressing to the knockout stages, having suffered early exits in the 1992, 1996 and 2020 editions, although Steve Clarke‘s men laid down an early marker with their surprise defeat of Spain in qualifying.
Following a brief scare over his fitness, integral defender Andrew Robertson is expected to be fit for the match and faces a daunting one-v-one against Jamal Musiala, while Bayer Leverkusen hotshot Florian Wirtz is expected to be up to his usual tricks on the opposite flank.
Friday’s contest will mark the first match between Germany and Scotland for almost nine years since the hosts edged a Euro 2016 qualifier in September 2015, where Thomas Muller (2) and Ilkay Gundogan – both of whom are still kicking in the national team kit – propelled Die Mannschaft to a 3-2 success.