The German national team will officially take the field to kick off the EURO 2024 tournament at their home ground by hosting Scotland at 02:00 on June 15, with the goal of nothing but a victory to start the campaign to conquer the silver cup smoothly. However, is the goal of Die Mannschafts easy to achieve against an opponent like Scotland?
First half match odds for Germany vs Scotland
Friendly matches in the pre-EURO period have shown that the form of the German national team is not really high, especially in scoring goals. They often only win narrowly against weaker opponents, even in goalless stalemates like against Ukraine. In the context of not having to play qualifiers, friendly matches are the best opportunity for Julian Nagelsmann’s team to test and train before the important tournament, but they have not done well in reality. It wasn’t until the last 4 matches when Toni Kroos officially returned that Germany had more encouraging results, making the fans feel reassured before the EURO 2024 campaign. Facing the German national team in this opening match will be Scotland, an opponent that is not easy for the giants on the continent. The team from the United Kingdom comes to EURO 2024 with a second-place record in the qualifiers, having lost only 1 match. This is a team with a relatively solid defense and a very annoying counter-attacking style, not simple for Germany to deal with Scotland despite being highly rated. In the underdog position, Scotland is predicted to start with a familiar deep defensive formation and wait for counter-attacking opportunities. Meanwhile, the not really cohesive attack of Die Mannschafts will need at least the first 45 minutes to find a way to penetrate the goal of goalkeeper Angus Gunn. The first half between Germany and Scotland is likely to be goalless, so under goals could be a reliable betting option. In addition, in a high-pressing situation of Die Mannschafts, there will likely be many corner kicks, mainly on Scotland’s side of the field. Prediction: Under goals, corner kicks, Germany corner kick handicap
Full match odds for Germany vs Scotland
If the scoreline has not changed in the first half, the German national team will surely make changes in the next half. Kai Havertz, who is not suitable for deep-lying defenses, could be replaced by Niclas Fullkrug, a traditional striker with a keen sense of goal, as well as the ability to create space for Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz. In addition, coach Julian Nagelsmann still has quite a few different options to consider for Germany’s attack, especially the experience and craftiness of Thomas Muller or the new force named Maximilian Beier, who could make a difference. In general, Germany breaking through Scotland’s goal is probably just a matter of time.
For Scotland, a draw against Germany, the strongest team in Group A, would already be a success and an advantage for their chances of advancing. However, coach Steve Clarke’s team will not find it easy to achieve their goal against a relatively tough opponent. Specifically, in their last 5 meetings, Germany won 4 and the two teams drew 1 match. In this match, the bookmakers offer a handicap of 1.5 goals for Germany in the full match odds.However, it is important to remember that all 3 recent wins of Die Mannschafts against Scotland were only by a single goal margin. In the context of being the first match in the EURO 2024 campaign and the stars have not had time to synchronize with each other, a narrow win is likely to happen again. As for the full match over/under odds being 2.5/3, it is unlikely that the match result will exceed 2 goals with caution from both teams. The variable can only occur if Scotland unexpectedly scores first against Germany, otherwise players can confidently bet on the full match under/over odds. In addition, the number of corner kicks in the second half is predicted to continue to appear as the home team’s attacking frequency is maintained. Prediction: Scotland +1.5, under goals and over corner kicks
