Scotland v Hungary LIVE: Line-ups and team news from crucial Euro 2024 clash

There was a moment at the start of the month when Gareth Southgate considered the type of player England have not had during his reign, considered the future of their midfield, in the youthful friends of Adam Wharton and Kobbie Mainoo, and reached for the sort of comparison that can apply pressure. He namechecked Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. And if there was a caveat, saying they lacked the experience of one of the game’s most decorated double acts, it was praise nonetheless.

There was a moment earlier in the week when Southgate invited rather more mockery, saying England lacked a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips. For Wharton, a 20-year-old who began the year playing in the Championship for Blackburn and who could be parachuted into England’s failing midfield in Euro 2024, the task may be to emulate Real Madrid’s pass masters, but also the more prosaic talents of the Manchester City misfit.

No pressure there, then. Not that Wharton seems to feel any. He approaches a conversation in a thoughtful way that mirrors his style of play. He brings quiet confidence but also modesty. “I don’t necessarily look at myself being special or anything like that,” he said. “It’s just the way I play.”

Richard Jolly has the latest from the England camp

John McGinn revealed a sporting split in the family ahead of Scotland’s crunch Euro 2024 game against Hungary in Stuttgart on Sunday, writes Ronnie Esplin.

The Aston Villa midfielder has a family link with Hungary which adds another bit of spice to the final Group A game, where a win for Steve Clarke’s side will likely send them to the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time.

McGinn, speaking in Stuttgart, said: “My uncle Joe and my little cousins Mark and Tamas live in Hungary, the boys were born in Scotland but they’re half Hungarian.

“One of them wants Scotland to win, one of them wants Hungary to win. My uncle Joe said that this morning – I hope young Tamas is sad tomorrow night.

“They’re huge supporters of mine, it’s nice for them to share the same surname but some of the boys in their school don’t believe it. They were over for the Liverpool game and they were more interested in big (Dominik) Szoboszlai than their big cousin.

“It’s a nice touch for the game tomorrow but full focus is on getting through.”

Romelu Lukaku stood with his back not only to goal, but to the raucous mass of crimson behind it. From somewhere within that throng, a plume of red smoke billowed towards the roof of the stadium. It might as well have been a warning to Romania, but just one minute into this critical Euro 2024 clash, they did not have time to heed it.

Lukaku, so often maligned for his endeavours with Belgium, executed his hold-up to perfection, fending off Andrei Burca and cushioning the ball into the stride of Youri Tielemans. The midfielder did the rest, driving the ball low and hard past Florin Nita.

So much of the last decade must have felt like a footballing nightmare for Belgium, but here was a dream start in Cologne. After the start of the week brought great concern for Domenico Tedesco’s side, with a (supposedly) shocking 1-0 loss to Slovakia, the end of the week at least brought hope. Following this 2-0 win for Belgium, all four teams in Group E possess three points. Belgium are top on goal difference.

By Alex Pattle in Dusseldorf

Scotland manager Steve Clarke on the threat posed by Hungary, who need to win stand a chance of reaching the last-16.

“If you look at their record the past few years, they’ve been building towards this,” Clarke said. “A good coach, well organised, good discipline without the ball, a good threat with the ball.

“They’ve got talented players but hopefully we can stifle them. We’re expecting a difficult game and I’m sure the Hungarians are also expecting a difficult game from us.

“We’re two similar teams, two similar line-ups and two similar systems, hopefully ours is slightly better than theirs.”

As one man took centre stage in a circus, a properly serious team got on with the business of convincingly winning football matches around him. Is this to be the story of Portugal at Euro 2024?

Perhaps it really is the sign of a new team that, as a goal stood at Cristiano Ronaldo’s mercy, he shockingly passed for another player to score. It wasn’t the only moment where he threw back the years. There was also the moment when he beat a defender with a step-over to cross, something he hasn’t actually done in maybe a decade.

For all that, such contributions were largely at the fringes of a game, which was already won by the Selecao’s more influential modern players, though there is no doubting the main event of Roberto Martinez’s side.

By Miguel Delaney in Dortmund

Scotland manager Steve Clarke on attempting to repay the faith of the Tartan Army by reaching an historic place in the knockout stages of Euro 2024.

“The whole tournament is a sense of occasion. For Scotland, the first major overseas tournament since 1998. I was still playing then, that was a long time ago.

“You can see how much the supporters out here are enjoying themselves. I am sure the five million at home are also engrossed in the tournament. It’s not just about this game, it’s about all the games.

“We know we have to win the game to progress to the next round and that’s what we aim to do. Nothing except three points for us is what we’re thinking.

“We need to get three points to at least finish third in the group and we’ll see where that takes us in the competition.”

Now for the hard part. Scotland still require a victory – when the only win they have managed in 11 attempts was against Gibraltar – but the battling nature of their performance against Switzerland restored hope and unlocked the “real Scotland” following a difficult run of form since qualifying.

Clarke’s side looked themselves again, with John McGinn leading Scotland’s press from the front, putting himself about. Within the first couple of minutes against Switzerland, McGinn crashed into a challenge and then chased Andy Robertson’s quick throw-in down the line to win a corner: the Tartan Army went berserk.

And yet Scotland need more if they are to beat Hungary. “Super John McGinn”, the player the Tartan Army looks up to like no other, has been a disappointment at Euro 2024 after such an impressive season with Aston Villa in the Premier League.

The chants in honour of Scotland’s No 7 have filled town squares, train stations and beer halls across Germany since the start of the Euros, but McGinn’s impact has so far been missing on the pitch.

There is more to the attacking midfielder than graft and bustle, but two quiet displays on the ball have not allowed him to showcase his other qualities in possession, such as his ability to turn and drive under pressure. It has been too easy to close off Scotland’s key man. McGinn was kept to 20 touches in each of Scotland’s opening two games against Germany and Switzerland, with the 29-year-old completing just six passes against the Swiss.

Steve Clarke on Scotland’s build-up to a cruicial clash against Hungary:

“There has been a lot of recovery, a lot of rest, hopefully some good information for the players,” he said. “We had a really good training session this morning and when they cross the white line they have to put that information into practice and hopefully you see the results at the end.

“The players have got a hell of a lot more experience. If we can qualify more regularly for these tournaments, you understand what you’re doing. I think we’ve done a lot of things right this time that maybe we didn’t get quite right the last time [at Euro 2020].

“Hopefully when we get to the last game the proof of the pudding is in the eating if you like, so that’s what we’re after. Hopefully we go to the match tomorrow and we do what we’re good at. If we do that we’ve got a chance.”

This time, it’s history. Euro 2024 began with Graeme Souness, lambasting the lack of quality in a Scotland side found to be out of its depth. Scotland may end Euro 2024 having achieved what Souness and the golden generation led by himself and Kenny Dalglish could not, by reaching the knockout stages of an international tournament for the first time. Before a ball was kicked, Scotland and manager Steve Clarke would have gladly accepted the position they find themselves in now: beat Hungary in Stuttgart on Sunday night and they will reach the magic four-point mark that should be enough to go through to the last-16.

If the group stages of the 24-team Euros come to showcase a class divide between the haves and the have-nots — as pre-tournament favourites France and England go through the motions while a range of nations less accustomed to the big stage, from Slovakia and Romania to Turkey and Albania, provide the colour by seizing their opportunity — Scotland’s players have a chance to write themselves into legend with a single win. That has been the goal since arriving in Germany almost two weeks ago.

Preview of a big night in Stuttgart

Steve Clarke hopes lessons have been learned ahead of Scotland’s crunch Group A game against Hungary in Stuttgart at Euro 2024, writes Ronnie Esplin.

The Scots have just one point from their first two matches against Germany and Switzerland but a win against Hungary would almost certainly see Scotland into the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time.

Clarke and his side were in the same situation in the delayed Euro 2020 after losing to the Czech Republic and drawing with England but they fell well short in their final game, losing 3-1 to Croatia at Hampden Park.

However, the Scotland boss believes he and his squad have used the intervening years wisely.

“We feel good,” said Clarke. “We thought it might come down to needing to get something out of the last game in the group. We’ve been in this position before at the last tournament but hopefully we can show that we’ve learned a few lessons.”