Steve Clarke in stitches at Swiss reporter attempts as Scotland boss swerves 'trouble' after Kroos and Xhaka trap

Boss Steve Clarke couldn't resist a chuckle as he was put on the spot on if Toni Kroos was "levels above" Granit Xhaka before Scotland's clash with Switzerland.

The Tartan Army will be packed into the Cologne Stadium as they look to roar Scotland on to a crucial three points that would keep the hopes of reaching the Euro 2024 knockout stage alive - following the 5-1 hammering at the hands of hosts Germany in the opening fixture of the tournament. Multi-time Champions League winner Kroos pulled the strings in midfield as Scotland struggled to get to grips with the game.

Bayer Leverkusen star Xhaka arrives at the tournament fresh from lifting the Bundesliga title during an unbeaten domestic campaign - and Clarke refused to be drawn into a contrast of the two stars despite a testing question from the Swiss media. He was asked: "Can you compare Toni Kroos with Granit Xhaka, or is Toni Kroos one or more levels above him?

The Scotland boss fired back: "Are you trying to get me into trouble? No, listen, two very similar players - similar in how they control the game for their team. We understood that Toni Kroos was a key player for Germany and we didn't handle him very well. So, we know Granit Xhaka is a key player for Switzerland, and hopefully we handle him a little bit better."

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