UEFA Euro 2024: Group A Preview, Tips And Predictions

Group A of UEFA Euro 2024 features Germany, Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland. The hosts share a border with the Swiss and those two nations are the highest ranked nations in the Group. Can Steve Clarke’s Scotland or a Hungarian side with six German-based players cause an upset and reach the last 16?

Route To Qualification

Germany qualified as hosts for the tournament whilst Switzerland finished second behind Romania in their group. Hungary were unbeaten in eight matches in qualifying and finished above Serbia in top spot. Scotland won their first five qualifying matches and ended up second in Group A of qualifying behind Spain.

FIFA Rankings And Euros Pedigree

Germany sit 16th in the FIFA Rankings and have won the Euros on three occasions. Their last success was in 1996.

Switzerland are ranked 19th in the World and are playing in their sixth tournament. Their best-ever performance was reaching the quarter-finals four years ago.

Hungary are as high as 26th in the FIFA Rankings. They were knocked out in the Group Stages in 2020 and it’s over 50 years since they went further than the round of 16.

Scotland find themselves ranked 39th in the world. With one draw and two defeats, they were knocked out in the Group Stages of the 2020 Euros edition.

Key Men

Germany: With arguably the best coach in the tournament in Julian Nagelsmann, expect modern and exciting football. Their squad looks strong and comprises five players from Bayern Munich and two from champions Bayer Leverkusen. You can’t look past 21-year-old duo Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala as the key players. Wirtz had 38 goal contributions last term (18 goals, 20 assists) whilst Musiala has just two goals in 29 Germany caps and will be looking to finally deliver his best form at the international level.

Switzerland: The Swiss have vast experience including outstanding Inter Milan goalkeeper Yann Sommer (if he starts over Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel) and 125-cap Granit Xhaka in midfield. Manuel Akanji and Fabian Schar will be paired in a formidable defence. Watch out for the pace and power of Noah Okafor, Breel Embolo, and Burnley’s Zeki Amdouni on the counter attack.

Hungary: One can’t look past Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai as the key player. He already has 42 caps at the age of 23 and will captain his nation. Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez has been linked with clubs in the Champions League and will be eager to impress. Much of the goalscoring burden falls on Freiburg’s Roland Sallai who has 13 goals for his country but who only netted three Bundesliga goals last season in 27 appearances (617 minutes per goal).

Scotland: Steve Clarke is a shrewd coach but has lost both Lyndon Dykes and Liverpool youngster Ben Doak to injury. The squad has eight players with 45+ caps and plenty of Premier League experience to fall back on. One player to keep an eye on is 21-year-old Bristol City striker Tommy Conway, who netted 10 goals in the Championship last term. He has just one senior cap and could prove a weapon alongside Southampton’s Che Adams.

Predicted Finishing Places

1.       Germany
2.       Hungary
3.       Switzerland
4.       Scotland

Betting Tips

Hungary to qualify from the group: 1.68
Multiplier Leg: Germany to top group A at 1.41
Alternate Bet: Germany to reach the semi-final at 2.10

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis