Key events
Handover: Tom Davies is here to take you through the next hour or so, until Niall McVeigh takes up the cudgels of news at 2pm.
Clarke has full squad to choose from
Scotland: Steve Clarke has a full complement of players to choose from ahead of his side’s opening Group A game against Germany in Munich tomorrow night. All 26 players in Scotland’s squad trained at Garmisch-Partenkirchen this morning, with midfielder Ryan Jack, who had missed Tuesday’s session, back in the group.
Although he is not part of the squad after being ruled out with injury, QPR striker Lyndon Dykes has travelled with his teammates in an unspecified Regimental Goat sort of “vibes” role and was watching them being put through their paces from the sideline, wearing a protective boot over his injured foot.
Edin Terzic leaves Borussia Dortmund
Breaking: The Borussia Dortmund manager, Edin Terzic, has asked the Bundesliga club to terminate his contract with immediate effect and they have agreed to do so. The 41-year-old leaves the club he has supported since he was a child having steered them to the final of last season’s Champions League, where they were beaten by Real Madrid.
Terzic has been the subject of criticism from several of his players in recent weeks, most notably the German defender Mats Hummels, although it is not known if their dispute is related to his decision to leave the club.
Laporte unlikely to be risked in Spain opener
Spain: Aymeric Laporte has missed Spain training with a muscle problem and looks set to miss his country’s Group B opener against Croatia in Berlin on Saturday. The Al-Nassr centre-back is likely to be replaced by Real Madrid’s Nacho Fernandez, who will partner Robin Le Normand in the heart of the Spanish defence.
AC Milan: The Italian side have announced that Paulo Fonseca will be their new head coach and will take over from Stefano Pioli. The 51-year-old Portuguese is a former boss of Shakhtar Donetsk, Lille and Roma, among other clubs and was this close to taking over at Tottenham Hotspur three years ago.
The Guardian Football Weekly Daily podcast: A man of discernment and impeccable taste, Georgia captain Guram Kashia recently revealed that he is an avid listener to the Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast and never misses an episode. On the eve of his nation’s first ever major tournament, Guram and all our other listeners will be delighted to hear that we’re going daily throughout the Euros.
We’ll be recording shortly after the end of each day’s final match, looking back on the action, previewing the games ahead and covering any other talking points that crop up. You can catch up on our three preview shows by clicking on this link and if you’re not already a subscriber, take a long, hard look in the nearest mirror and then sign up in all the usual podcast places.
Our writers’ predictions for Euro 2024
The Guardian’s crack team of football writers on the ground in Germany have submitted their predictions for the tournament and in what can only be described as a genuinely massive boost to England’s chances, not a single one of them thinks Gareth Southgate’s team will win it. Read on …
VAR decisions to be explained on stadium screens
Refereeing at Euro 2024: Last month, Uefa announced that only team captains will be allowed to speak to referees during Euro 2024 matches if they feel a decision has gone against them unfairly. Uefa have also decreed that any other player who approaches match officials to complain about decisions will be cautioned.
Now it has been revealed that match officials will explain decisions made by video assistant referees to crowds in the stadium through the medium of the big screens throughout the tournament.
“This is something new and I think it’s very, very, very interesting,” said Uefa’s managing director for refereeing Roberto Rosetti. “So we want to give, after the opinion of VAR, a technical explanation for the public. In live, simultaneously, the Uefa expert will prepare the explanation, a technical explanation about what happened in the specific situation.
“For example, [if after an] on-field review, the referee awards a penalty for handball, [you might see]: ‘Technical explanation: Germany number nine touched the ball with his left arm in an unnatural position above the shoulder and making his body bigger’.”
What could possibly go wrong?
Stones due in England training today
England: It has been reported that John Stones has recovered from the bug that kept him out of training and confined to his hotel room yesterday. The Manchester City defender will take part in England training this morning.
Germany: Bayern Munich defensive midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic has been ruled out of Germany’s Euro 2024 squad after coming down with tonsillitis and has been replaced by Borussia Dortmund midfielder Emre Can, who benefits from the youngster’s rotten luck.
We wanted another No6 in the squad and we decided to nominate Emre Can,” said Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann. “He was instantly excited and said he was ready to join the team. We wanted a player in the squad who has played a lot of matches and who knows how to handle pressure. He fits the profile and we can now use him.”
Germany: Ilkay Gundogan will lead out the Germany side to face Scotland in tomorrow night’s tournament opener and has said it is a huge privilege to skipper the three-times European champions as they begin their latest campaign on home soil in Munich tomorrow.
“It’s a huge honour, a huge privilege to be captain,” said the Barcelona midfielder. “I have experienced an awful lot in my career, lots of great times but also lots of difficult times. I kind of know what it takes to be successful. All I can do is lead from the front, both on and off the pitch. I think the people of Germany – not just the fans – deserve some success.
“We know it’ll be a tough game against Scotland. They have a lot of quality, lots of stars from the Premier League, so it’s going to be a challenge, but we are confident. We’re very well set up, full of quality and there’s lots of potential in the squad; we just have to deliver now. We haven’t done ourselves justice in recent tournaments.
“We hope this time that we benefit somewhat from the euphoria in our home country and the support of the fans, and that this carries us along. But we know we first have to earn the trust of our fans on the pitch. If we do, I think we will go a long way. Playing a [tournament] in your own country is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so obviously it feels really special.”
Footballers’ union starts legal action against Fifa
The international footballers’ union Fifpro has started legal action against Fifa over the expanded men’s Club World Cup. Fifpro said its Europe member unions, led by England’s Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and its French counterpart, had on Thursday submitted a legal claim with the Brussels court of commerce.
The Netherlands: Having lost midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners to injury on Monday, Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman announced he would only be calling up one replacement in the form of Ian Maatsen, who spent the season on loan at Borussia Dortmund from his parent club Chelsea.
Koeman’s decision meant the Dutch had a vacant spot in their squad but the manager has since had a change of heart and called up Joshua Zirkzee, who has cut short a holiday to Disney World in Florida to travel to Germany. The uncapped 23-year-old plays as a striker and scored 13 goals for Serie A side Bologna last season. He is expected to join up with his teammates in Wolfsburg today ahead of their opener against Poland on Sunday afternoon.
England: The Football Association’s chief executive, Mark Bullingham, has insisted the organisation has a succession plan in place for the possible departure of Gareth Southgate after Euro 2024 but was coy when asked about the details. David Hytner reports from Blankenhain …
England: The Football Association has funded a special unit within the British police to help them prosecute anyone who abuses England’s players on social media. David Hytner reports from Blankenhain …
The Brighton midfielder Billy Gilmour believes Scotland are well equipped to defy the odds and spoil Germany’s European Championship party when the tournament gets under way in Munich tomorrow night. Ewan Murray reports from Garmisch-Partenkirchen …
Team guides part 21: the Czech Republic … Jaroslav Silhavy’s abrupt departure moments after the Czechs had secured qualification gave Ivan Hasek limited preparation but the Tomas Soucek-led Czechs will be dangerous, writes Martin Vait.
Preamble
The excitement continues to build and with just one day to go before Euro 2024 kicks off, we’ll here to keep you posted on all the pre-tournament news that’s fit to print and plenty more that almost certainly is not.
Last night it was revealed that John Stones, the only centre-half in the England squad with Big Tournament experience, has been laid low with what i9s believed to be a sickness bug and is being confined to his quarters at the Weimarer Land Spa and Golf resort in Blankenhain, in order to prevent the illness from spreading through the camp.
Stones missed England training yesterday but could be back on the grass training as early as today. In the unlikely event he fails to recover in time for England’s tournament opener against Serbia on Sunday, Brighton defender Lewis Dunk is likely to deputise.
