Steve Clarke peers into Scotland crystal ball as Stale Solbakken's Euro 2024 prediction sends German foes a warning

Steve Clarke last night insisted Scotland will be a handful for any team they face at the Euros – after being tipped to shine in Germany by the manager he beat to a place at the tournament.

Norway boss Stale Solbakken believes his side should have won the 3-3 draw at Hampden that brought Scotland’s stunning campaign to an end with just one defeat in eight matches and a runner-up spot to Spain that guarantees a Pot 3 place at the Euros draw in Hamburg on December 2. But Solkbakken was adamant that Scotland deserves their place at the finals and said: “Scotland have a great coach and very disciplined players who know their strengths and limits.

“They don’t pretend to be something else. They also have tournament experience now. So I think they can be a handful for everyone. I also think they can play two systems, which will be valuable for them. There will be no easy games for those who play Scotland.”

Clarke agreed with his rival’s assessment of his team’s quality and is convinced the Scots will not be there to make up the numbers. He said: “That would be the intention, to go there and compete. What we’ve worked hard at is being very competitive every time we go on the pitch.

“We’re Scotland. We have a certain way of playing. We have a style. We like to play on the front foot. Hopefully the Norway manager is right when we get to Germany.”

Clarke was delighted with the response of the Tartan Army at the end of the six-goal thriller that saw the away side lead twice before being pegged back by a John McGinn penalty and an own goal before Stuart Armstrong gave the Scots a lead they held until five minutes from time.

But he wasn’t so pleased with the first-half display and admitted: “It was a strange game. We were a