Steve Clarke warns Scotland of 'dangerous' way to approach Switzerland showdown that could sink Euro 2024 hopes

Scotland boss Steve Clarke arrived in storm-battered Cologne and immediately warned his players they could sink their own Euros dream by playing for a draw against the Swiss.

Clarke kept his messaging brief at the official pre-match press conference by admitting his team “must do better” as thunder and lightning ripped through Rhineland. Tonight’s game could either send them home early or set up a Euro 2024 qualification cup final against Hungary on Sunday. One point would be enough to keep the Scots alive heading into that final Group A game in Stuttgart.

However, the boss insisted there will be no confusion over the target he has set as he aims to get these finals up and running with a first win. Clarke said: “To go into the game thinking we only need a point is dangerous. So we’ll go there to win it and to be as positive as we can. Then we’ll see where that takes us. But it’s more about making sure we perform as well as we can play. If we can do that, we’ll be pretty confident that we can get something from the game.”

Clarke was keen to keep it brief in front of the cameras and to avoid making promises that cannot be kept. But repeatedly he demanded a massive uplift in performance level after that opening night 5-1 thrashing against the Germans in Munich.

He added: “The Swiss are a difficult opponent so I expect a difficult game. But for us, we need to regroup and go again. It’s about doing better. I don’t want to put any labels on it. It’s about doing better and working better into the game. We thought we were well prepared for Germany and obviously we weren’t.

“So this time we don’t want to say too much and hopefully our actions on the pitch will show that we have prepared well. And a positive result would be lovely.”

Asked if his players are itching for the opportunity to get back into tournament action, he said: “They want to go back out on the pitch and play better. That’s pretty standard, really, when you have played so poorly and you’ve let yourself down.

“You want to go out and make amends for it and that’s where their mentality is. It’s always important for players to keep their emotions in check and understand what we need to get from the game, to understand how we approach the game.

“We didn’t start well at all against Germany. After seven minutes we were chasing the game and after 20 minutes it was looking like a long night. So we need to make sure we start well and do better, make sure we get a good foothold in the game right from the start.”

And Clarke admits he can’t be certain what to expect from Murat Yakin, whose Switzerland side opened up with a 3-1 win over Hungary on Saturday. He said: “I think he tweaked the system on Saturday – I don’t think it was a radical change but it was definitely a tweak to the system – and the way he used certain players within that system.

“Whether they used that specifically for the Hungarians or whether they have something up their sleeve for us, we won’t know until we get on the pitch. We have to be prepared for anything, we have to be as well prepared as we can be. We think we are.”