Murat Yakin addressed the media in Köln on Tuesday, as his Switzerland side prepare to face Scotland. La Nati got their EURO2024 campaign underway with a comprehensive victory over Hungary, while the Tartan Army were dismantled in Munich by the tournament hosts on the opening day.
Yakin was joined by Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji, with the defender giving an insight into how his Premier League experience could help La Nati to victory on Wednesday. Kick off in Köln is scheduled for 20:00 BST [21:00 CEST].
What did Murat Yakin say?
Scotland looked shaky at best against Germany in the opening match of EURO2024, and found themselves reduced to ten men after a reckless challenge from Ryan Porteous. The defender will miss this clash with Switzerland as a result, with his ban extended to also include their final clash with Hungary.
Yakin knows that Scotland won’t give up without a fight, and says that La Nati “have been warned, but are coming here with a lot of confidence.”
“They have to show a reaction,” he added, but joked that he hopes “none of their players are better than mine. I concentrate on how my players are, and we’ve done quite well with that so far.”
But there could be an extra variable thrown into the mix on Wednesday, with severe storms set to descend on the North Rhine-Westphalia region. Dortmund was hit by hours of heavy rainfall on Tuesday, but Yakin insists that the weather won’t impact his side.
“We are professional. We play on any surface, in any weather, against any opponent. Our strength is that we can concentrate on our game. We are independent of the weather.”
What did Manuel Akanji say?
Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji also brushed off any suggestions that the weather could hinder La Nati on Wednesday, suggesting that “we’ll just have to adapt our game a little if it’s really that bad.”
“If the pitch isn’t playable, we realise that as players during the warm-up or in the game itself.”
Akanji assured reporters that Switerzerland are eager to get their second game underway, but expressed an understanding that Scotland “will want to show that they are better” than they showed against Germany.
Embed from Getty Images“They played great during the qualifiers, so we’re prepared for that. They’ll certainly want to get the three points,” he continued, “but so do we.”
“I’ve played against some players who have played for Scotland. [John] McGinn had a great season with Aston Villa, or [Scott] McTominay with Manchester United. Andrew Robertson has been with Liverpool for a long time now and brings a lot of danger down the wing. I’ve seen the most of these players,” said the 28-year-old.
Scotland will face Switzerland in Köln at 20:00 BST [21:00 CEST] on Wednesday, 19 June. FromTheSpot will provide detailed coverage of that clash – and every other EURO2024 fixture – via our website.