Jamal Musiala claims Scotland are 'worried' as German wonderkid duo plan to wreak havoc in Euro 2024 opener

Together, they’re the future of German football. But on Friday night, they plan to be the scourge of Scotland.

And if Steve Clarke ’s side are going to get anything from their Euro 2024 opener in Munich - you get the feeling that if he can stop Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz - that would go a long way to achieving it. This pair of 21-year-old wonder-kids are just one of the reasons why Germany has a chance of winning this European Championships on home soil.

Bayern Munich’s attacking midfielder, Musiala, will pose a major threat to the Scots if he’s allowed to find pockets of space between our midfield and defence. While Bayer Leverkusen kid Wirtz, who is expected to start wide on the left of Germany’s front line, will look to exploit a potential weakness in Clarke’s team at right-back. They’ll both have to be nullified on Friday night.

But the worrying thing for Scotland is that neither Musiala or Wirtz look as if they’ll be fazed by any stage - or any opponent. And as they faced the media at their Euro 2024 base camp yesterday, Musiala - who spent most of his childhood living in England - confidently stated that we SHOULD be fearful about what they might do to us.

The former Chelsea youth player spent some time with Scots star Billy Gilmour in the Stamford Bridge set-up. But as much as he rates the midfielder highly, Musiala is more concerned with what he and Wirtz can do on the Euros stage.

He said: "Billy is a few years older than me but I watched a lot of his games at Chelsea. You could see his quality right from the start. He's very secure on the ball and he's made the breakthrough now. He's a really good player for Scotland. But our coach will look to find rhythm with our starting 11 and we have the ability to change things up.

“So we can cause problems for any opponent. The point is that Scotland is worried about us on Friday night. And we just have to focus on ourselves.”

Wirtz is of the same mindset. In fact, if anything the Leverkusen attacker is even more focused on lighting up the Euros to make up for his World Cup 2022 heartbreak. He missed the tournament in Qatar due to a knee injury but - ominously for Clarke and Co - now feels back to his best.

Wirtz is aware of the responsibility on the young shoulders of himself and Musiala but he’s ready to thrive on it. He said: “We are not allowed just to do what we want on the pitch.

“The coach is happy with our positive play but there is a plan that the team wants to carry out together. We know we are responsible for creating chances and scoring goals. “But we have to do it in the right moments and make the right decisions.

“It was a serious setback for me that I was injured before the World Cup. But I promised the coaching team that I would be 100 percent fit again. Now this is my first tournament, and in my own country. So I’m full of anticipation because this is something special.

“We have already done some tactical work on Scotland but it would be unwise, of course, to say exactly what. But we’re prepared for Scotland, we know how we want to approach it and we aim to show our high standards.”

Musiala and Wirtz are so highly rated in Germany due to their performances in the Bundesliga and with the national team - that they’ve been compared to a couple of legends.

It was put to them that they’re similar to former captain Bastian Schweinsteiger and ex-front-man Lukas Podolski, who both won the World Cup in 2014. But Wirtz said: “Of course, they are idols of the past and you’re happy when you’re compared to players who had careers like they had with Germany.

“But we don’t want to become the new Schweinsteiger or Podolski. We’re just trying to bring our own qualities to the pitch. And in the end, we just want the team to be successful.”

Never mind being dubbed a Schweinsteiger or Podolski. Musiala already has his own nickname in German football - Bambi. And if he’s as fleet-footed as he usually is for Bayern Munich against Scotland tomorrow night, Clarke’s defence will have a problem.

He said: “Some people still call me Bambi and I don’t have a problem with it. It’s a cool nickname but I’m probably growing out of it a bit!

“I’ve made progress in terms of my development and I’ve put on a bit of weight. That’s my goal, just to improve year after year.”

Off the pitch, Musiala and Wirtz are close pals. If they’re not linking up with football at their feet - it’s with a basketball in their hands. Scotland will be hoping they aren’t in sync at the Munich Arena. Because if they are, it could be a long evening for Clarke’s side in their Euros curtain-raiser.

On Wirtz, Musiala said: “Off the pitch, we play table tennis and basketball. We complement each other on the court and play well together.” And on Musiala, Wirtz says: “Jamal is such a nice boy, I get on well with him off the pitch. We do a lot with each other and he’s fun to be around.”

Let’s pray their fun stops at about 8pm on Friday.