The reigning European Championship holders begin the defence of their title on Saturday night, with Italy facing Albania in Group B – and with much having changed since their triumph in London three years ago.
Since winning the delayed Euros in 2021, the Azzurri have failed to qualify for the World Cup and turned over coaches in far more rapid fashion than usual but Luciano Spalletti looks to have reestablished some order with them and they look in good shape ahead of the start of Euro 2024 – albeit robbed of a couple of players through injury and perhaps lacking some star quality of previous years.
Albania will be hoping to cause an upset along the way but know they face an uphill battle to make it past the group stage, with Croatia and Spain – the other teams in the group – having met earlier today and still lying in wait for them. Follow all the latest build-up and team news from Italy vs Albania below plus minute-by-minute updates from Spain vs Croatia:
Italy vs Albania – Euro 2024 LIVE
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Group B’s second game KO at 8pm BST, as Italy face Albania in Dortmund
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Italy the reigning champions, Albania in their second-ever Euros appearance
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Group B is rounded out by Spain and Croatia, who clash at 5pm BST
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Italy vs Albania predicted line-ups and team news
Italy – Albania
Granit Xhaka on Hungary test at Euro 2024
13:30 , Jack Rathborn
“We have clear aims and we want to achieve them, but tomorrow is the first game, the first aim,” Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka says.
“We want to give our best and hopefully get the three points.”
Euro 2024: Hungary vs Switzerland
13:22 , Jack Rathborn
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It’s 70 years since Switzerland hosted the World Cup and Hungary lost to West Germany in the final. That loss marked the end of an era when Hungary‘s “Magic Magyars” were one of the world’s best teams.
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It’s 43 years since Hungary beat Switzerland in a competitive game. Their last meeting was a 5-2 win for Switzerland in World Cup qualifying in 2017.
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Opening games have been a problem for both teams at the Euros. Switzerland has one win from five, against Albania in 2016. Hungary has one win from four, though two of its opening games were also semifinals because only four teams qualified for the tournament in 1964 and 1972.
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Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka can play his 126th game for his country, extending the team record. Vice-captain Shaqiri is close behind on 123 games.
Euro 2024: Hungary vs Switzerland
13:15 , Jack Rathborn
Hungary vs Switzerland: Starting line-ups
13:01 , Jack Rathborn
Switzerland XI: Sommer; Schär, Akanji, Rodríguez; Widmer, Freuler, Xhaka, Ndoye; Duah, Aebischer, Vargas
Hungary XI: Gulácsi; Lang, Orbán, Szalai; Fiola, Ádám Nagy, Schäfer, Kerkez; Sallai, Szoboszlai; Varga
Andy Robertson explains how Scotland ‘got it all wrong’ in Germany thrashing
13:00 , Jack Rathborn
As the build to Hungary vs Switzerland continues, let’s take another look at last night’s Group A opener (sorry, Scotland fans).
Here’s what Scottish captain Andy Robertson had to say about his side’s thrashing by Germany, and what specifically went wrong against the hosts:
Andy Robertson explains how Scotland ‘got it all wrong’ in Germany thrashing
Euro 2024 kits: Every home and away shirt ranked and rated
12:54 , Jack Rathborn
Euro 2024 is nearly upon us and with it comes a sartorial smorgasbord for us to enjoy, or be deeply offended by.
What have Croatia done this time? Have England pulled off a genuine gem? Why are Belgium wearing brown shorts? And which kit has won our highly coveted top spot?
Nike, Adidas, Puma, Macron, Joma and the good people at Hummel have dropped their designs so, without further ado, let’s get stuck in.
Ranked from the visually upsetting to the optically arousing, here is our list of Euro 2024 kits.
Euro 2024 kits: Every shirt ranked and rated
Hungary and Switzerland players inspect pitch before Euro 2024 clash
12:48 , Jack Rathborn
Euro 2024 predictions: Winner, Golden Boot, breakout star and more
12:36 , Alex Pattle
Euro 2024 is upon us, as Germany hosts its first major men’s tournament since 2006 – with the national team seeking its first trophy in a decade.
Some fancy Julian Nagelsmann’s team to defy expectations on home soil, while there is naturally significant faith in France, as the 2018 world champions and 2022 runners-up.
Can England finally get over the line under Gareth Southgate, three years after losing the delayed Euro 2020 final to Italy at Wembley? And if so, will Harry Kane claim his second international Golden Boot?
Or will a younger star steal the spotlight, as clubs and coaches around Europe keep an eye out for the ‘next big thing’ in the summer transfer market?
Euro 2024 predictions: Winner, Golden Boot, breakout star and more
‘Miserable’ Scotland berated for being ‘out of their depth’ in Euros trouncing
12:23 , Alex Pattle
So, Robertson was damning about his team’s performance, and he wasn’t the only one.
ITV pundits Roy Keane and Graeme Souness had no sympathy and no mercy for Steve Clarke’s side after that brutal Euro 2024 defeat at the hands of Germany.
Souness, who won over 50 caps for Scotland and represented them at the 1978, ‘82 and ‘86 World Cups, decried his national side as being so poor as to not really being able to give a good gauge of whether Germany had performed well or not.
“We were miserable. I’m so disappointed, we let ourselves down badly tonight,” Souness said after the match. “I can’t really tell you how good this Germany team are because Scotland were so bad. We’ll have to see how they do against a decent side.”
More from Souness below, as well as what Keane had to say. Spoiler alert, he did not hold back (surprise, surprise)…
‘Miserable’ Scotland berated for being ‘out of their depth’ in Euros trouncing
Roy Keane tears into Scotland after being thrashed by Germany at Euro 2024: ‘It’s rubbish!’
12:08 , Jack Rathborn
ITV pundits Roy Keane and former Scotland international Graeme Souness had no sympathy and no mercy for Steve Clarke’s side after a brutal Euro 2024 defeat at the hands of Germany.
Florian Wirtz put the tournamant hosts ahead within the opening ten minutes and Germany rarely let up, eventually winning 5-1 with Jamal Musiala one of the stars of the show as Scotland failed to find any way to stop them.
Keane, meanwhile, did not hold back in criticising a lack of tactical discipline, willingness to show fighting spirit and technical ability from Scotland.
“They were second best in every aspect of the game tonight. Physically, tactically, even mentally,” he said. “They showed a little fighting spirit in the second half as you’d expect, but the difference in quality was chalk and cheese. They were out of their depth.
Roy Keane tears into Scotland after Germany thrashing: ‘It’s rubbish!’
Euro 2024 opener wasn’t just thrilling on the pitch – the atmosphere was years in the making
11:52 , Alex Pattle
Excitement is building for today’s games, but will the atmosphere of any fixture at this tournament beat that of last night’s opening salvo?
The atmosphere at Germany vs Scotland was years in the making, for numerous reasons.
Here’s a piece on the overwhelming occasion in Munich on Friday evening:
Why the overwhelming Germany v Scotland atmosphere was years in the making
Euro 2024
11:40 , Jack Rathborn
Italy v Albania predicted line-ups and team news
11:32 , Jack Rathborn
Team news
Sandro Tonali is out after the Newcastle midfielder picked up a 10-month ban in October following betting breaches. While Tottenham’s Destiny Udogie is out through injury, as are Nicolo Zaniolo, Francesco Acerbi and Giorgio Scalvini.
Nicolo Barella and Nicolo Fagioli are doubts, although they have returned to full training, so if they do pull through, they could challenge Bryan Cristante for a start.
Sokol Cikallesh missed out on Sylvinho’s squad. While Chelsea’s Armando Broja is likely to lead the line and Inter Milan’s Kristjan Asllani will offer quality.
Predicted lineups
Italy XI: Donnarumma; Darmian, Buongiorno, Bastoni; Di Lorenzo, Cristante, Jorginho, Dimarco; Chiesa, Frattesi; Scamacca
Albania XI: Strakosha; Hysaj, Kumbulla, Djimsiti, Mitaj; Bajrami, Asllani, Ramadani; Asani, Broja, Hoxha
Spain vs Croatia predicted line-ups and team news
11:21 , Jack Rathborn
Team news
Spain could make history should Lamine Yamal take to the field. If he does so, the Barcelona starlet will be the youngest player to appear at the tournament at 16 years and 338 days old. David Raya is likely to be on the bench, with Unai Simon more likely to start in goal.
For Croatia, Ivan Perisic recovered from a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury to make his return in the final weeks of the season and is expected to be fully fit for the tournament.
Predicted line-ups:
Spain XI: Simon, Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Grimaldo, Rodri, Olmo, Ruiz, Yamal, Morata, Williams
Croatia XI: Livakovic, Stanisic, Vida, Gvardiol, Sosa, Brozovic, Kovacic, Modric, Kramaric, Petkovic, Perisic
Phil Foden tipped for Euro 2024 player of the tournament by England teammate
11:10 , Jack Rathborn
John Stones believes his Manchester City and England teammate Phil Foden is a potential player of the tournament at Euro 2024.
Foden was named Footballer of the Year after scoring a career-best 27 goals to help City win a fourth consecutive Premier League title.
He has only scored four goals in 34 caps for his country and is yet to replicate that form consistently in an England shirt but Stones feels Foden could prove the outstanding individual in Germany in the next month.
“Yes, I’m biased, I think he’s absolutely incredible,” he said. “First how he plays the game, so silky playing like he’s in the park. I feel like he has brought so much to his game. Goals, maturity, knowing of situations, his pressing. This season has been incredible for him and I hope and I’m sure he will bring that to the tournament.”
Phil Foden tipped for Euro 2024 player of the tournament by England teammate
John Stones ready to guide England to Euro 2024 glory after setbacks, surprises and near-misses
10:55 , Jack Rathborn
It has been a cruel few weeks for the senior players who have been the stalwarts of Gareth Southgate’s reign. They have been dropped and demoted, their feelings hurt sometimes while bodies have given way. John Stones had been a survivor of the Southgate cull, but there was a moment when it seemed he, too, would miss Euro 2024.
It came minutes into England’s final friendly against Iceland. A stricken Stones went down under a challenge from Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson. “I knew it wasn’t my knee or my ankle, because of the mechanism in how I landed, it was almost like my big toe in the line straight down my foot and you think ‘I have fractured it’,” he recalled.
The curse of the metatarsal has hit England in the past, broken feet, or bones in feet, a factor in summer disappointments. It looked as though 2024 could be a throwback to 2002 or 2006. If Stones’ importance has risen amid the injury problems of Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire, it looked as though Southgate could lose his only centre-back with World Cup or European Championship experience.
John Stones ready to guide England to glory after setbacks, surprises and near-misses
Euro 2024: Scotland let themselves down – and where it all went wrong is obvious
10:40 , Jamie Braidwood
On the eve of Euro 2024, Scotland captain Andy Robertson asked ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’ as he reflected on a record of underperformance at major tournaments and the chance to create history in Germany. By half-time on the opening night in Munich, imaginations were being tested at the Allianz Arena as a rampant host nation tore Scotland apart. Three goals down, reduced to 10 after Ryan Porteous was sent off, the worst that could happen against Germany became the fear of six or seven.
A mere 5-1 defeat remained a humbling night, an evening where Scotland suddenly woke up to the chasm in quality between themselves and their hosts. So much for talking up the chances of making life difficult for Germany and having a plan to frustrate them on the opening night. Manager Steve Clarke admitted Scotland “let ourselves down”. Robertson conceded Scotland “got it all wrong” in their first half performance. “We didn’t show up, we weren’t aggressive enough, and we let good players get on the ball,” the captain said.
On the worst possible start for Scotland
Scotland let themselves down against Germany and where it all went wrong is obvious
Euro 2024: Jamal Musiala signals the arrival of Germany’s new generation
10:20 , Jamie Braidwood
If the start to 2006 was a famous “summer fairytale” for Germany, this could be the beginning of an even better story. It doesn’t want for youthful joy, either, as witnessed by the standing ovation for Jamal Musiala. For Scotland, there was only grim reality. There were some familiarities to that, too.
They at least had something like a belated shot, and a goal, to at least make this 5-1. It could really have been so much worse. It couldn’t have gone much better for Germany. This opening game of Euro 2024 had the feel of a properly big event beforehand, as illustrated by Sir Alex Ferguson’s message before a raucous Flower of Scotland, but he had to witness an occasion that solely became about how big the defeat would be. Scotland were fortunate to escape with a mere four-goal loss. Everyone else was fortunate to witness Musiala.
Report by Miguel Delaney in Munich on a perfect start for hosts Germany in Group A.
Jamal Musiala signals the arrival of new Germany with thrashing of Scotland
Euro 2024 players to watch: Dominik Szoboszlai
10:00 , Jamie Braidwood
The undisputed star in the Hungary side, Szoboszlai successfully made the step to the Premier League and enjoyed an impressive start to his first season at Liverpool, even earning comparisons to Steven Gerrard in his first few months at Anfield. A hamstring injury over the winter lingered into the spring and rather stalled his progress, which is a concern as Szoboszlai prepares to lead his country into the Euros. But when fit and firing, few midfielders in the world offer more variety than the 23-year-old, with energy, dribbling, passing and a ferocious strike from distance. Hungary will need a few moments of his magic.
Euro 2024 players to watch: Granit Xhaka
09:45 , Jamie Braidwood
A player who often doesn’t get the respect that he deserves, but maybe that is starting to change after helping Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga title in what was an unforgettable debut season in Germany. Now 31, Xhaka flourished in his new home after leaving Arsenal last summer and offered important leadership to Leverkusen as they closed in on an historic achievement in club football. His role for Switzerland is similar: this will be Xhaka’s sixth major tournament and his experience will be vital if they are to make it out of Group A.
09:35 , Jamie Braidwood
Predicted line-ups
Switzerland XI: Sommer; Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Widmer, Freuler, Xhaka, Ndoye; Shaqiri, Vargas; Amdouni
Hungary XI: Gulacsi; Lang, Orban, Szalai; Nego, A. Nagy, Schafer, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Sallai; Vargas
Hungary team news
09:34 , Jamie Braidwood
Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai carried a slight hamstring injury into the opener after going off against Israel as a precaution. The Liverpool star will operate alongside Roland Sallai.
The 3-4-2-1 formation should see Adam Lang, Willi Orban and Attila Szalai at the back, with Peter Gulacsi between the sticks. Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez should provide a threat at wing-backs, while Barnabas Varga, who has been in prolific form for Ferencvaros this season, brings a threat in the final third.
Switzerland team news
09:33 , Jamie Braidwood
Steven Zuber is a major doubt after sustaining a calf injury in the friendly draw with Austria.
But Monaco pair Breel Embolo and Denis Zakaria are back in full training this week and bring further options for Murat Yakin.
Hungary vs Switzerland: TV channel
09:32 , Jamie Braidwood
Hungary take on Switzerland on Saturday 15 June 2024, in Cologne with a kick-off time of 2pm BST.
How can I watch it?
The match will be shown live in the UK on ITV 1 and STV, with coverage starting at 1:15pm. The game can also be streamed live on ITVX. Every match at Euro 2024 is free-to-air on BBC or ITV (and STV) in the UK. You can find a full list of which channel is showing each match here.
Is Hungary v Switzerland on TV tomorrow? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Euro 2024 fixture
09:31 , Jamie Braidwood
Hungary kickstart their Euro 2024 campaign with a match against Switzerland.
Dominik Szoboszlai will become the youngest captain in the tournament’s history when he leads his side out in the Group A clash in Cologne.
Marco Rossi’s Hungary side were unbeaten in qualifying and their two victories over England in the Nations League in 2022, including a 4-0 thrashing at Molineux, showed how much of a threat they can be. After enduring a ‘group of death’ in 2020, with France, Germany and Portugal, Hungary will be looking for an improved performance.
Switzerland had an impressive performance in 2020, when they stunned France on penalties in the round of 16 before being knocked out by Spain in the quarter-finals.
Here’s everything you need to know about the clash:
Is Hungary v Switzerland on TV today? Kick-off time and how to watch Euro 2024
Hungary vs Switzerland – Euro 2024 LIVE
Friday 14 June 2024 15:34 , Karl Matchett
Good morning and welcome to the first full day of action from Euro 2024 – we’ll have every kick covered right here on The Independent.
Later today we’ve got the two openers from Group B coming up, with Spain facing Croatia and Italy playing Albania, but before that it’s the second Group A clash following hosts Germany playing Scotland last night.
It’s Hungary against Switzerland, with a 2pm kick-off (BST), and it could prove a crucial match even at this early stage in the search for a knock-out place.
Read the full article here