Murat Yakin wants Switzerland to be well drilled for Scotland threat
Murat Yakin wants Switzerland to be ready for any response from Scotland in Wednesday’s Euro 2024 tie in Cologne.
Steve Clarke’s side were left reeling from a 5-1 defeat to Germany in Munich on Friday night where Ryan Porteous got sent off to leave the Scots with 10 men for the second half, while the Swiss began their Group A campaign with an impressive 3-1 win over Hungary.
Speaking through an interpreter in the Cologne stadium, Yakin spoke about the challenge of Scotland with the emphasis on his own side.
They (Scotland) have to show a reaction
He said: “The game Scotland played [against Germany] is not a reference point, they can play very well, we have a lot of confidence but we think they have prepared well to disrupt us.
“They have to show a reaction and I hope we can play our game as planned.
“We can prepare very well for our opponents and after we had test games [before the tournament] there were one or two corrections we prepared for Hungary and implemented those changes very well.
“We have changed a few positions and moves to make us even more dangerous and it worked for us. If that works for us again, we shall see tomorrow.”
Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji name-checked a few Scotland players who play in the Premier League or who have played in England’s top flight – and he expects more from the Scots on Wednesday night.
He said: “I have played against a lot who start for the team, John McGinn had a great season, (Scott) McTominay too with Man United, scoring a lot of goals.
“McGinn has a great impact in offence and works hard off the ball. Andy Robertson has been there for a long time and played a lot of games, he is always dangerous on the wing.
“These are the players I have mainly played against, I know they have Kieran Tierney too but I don’t think I have played against him yet.
“They lost the first game and didn’t show the best performance while playing a lot of time with a man down.
“They will want to show everyone they’re a better team like they did during a great qualification campaign.
“We have prepared for that and like us they want three points to go into the next round, we have to be ready for the start as we know they can play a lot better than they did in the first game.”
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