EURO 2024 daily preview 19 June: What to look out for on Wednesday

Matchday 2 gets under way on Wednesday, with Croatia and Albania kicking off proceedings in a crucial Group B encounter. Hosts Germany then look to follow up their opening-day victory against Hungary, while Scotland – beaten by the hosts in Munich on Matchday 1 – face Switzerland.

We preview the action in Hamburg, Stuttgart and Cologne.

15:00: Croatia vs Albania (Group B, Hamburg)

Croatia and Albania both lost their opening games, and in an extremely hard section featuring Italy and Spain, both may see this match as their best chance of picking up three points. A 3-0 loss to Spain was perhaps a little hard on Croatia, but the maths of the group stage remain the same: two wins and they will still be through. Local paper Jutarnji List summed up the mood with its headline: "Bravely onward." As captain Luka Modrić put it: "We no longer have the right to make mistakes. In a way, that's a good thing because we know we have no other option but to win."

Nedim Bajrami put Albania in front just 23 seconds into their meeting with Italy (a EURO record) but the Azzurri rallied to win 2-1, meaning that Sylvinho's side are back to square one. Midfield dominance may be the key in Hamburg, with Bajrami aware of what Albania have to contend with. "I know [Marcelo] Brozović well because I played against him in Serie A, and [Luka] Modrić and [Mateo] Kovačić are two great players who play at a high level, so we should give 100% focus against them." Having seen the way Albania hurried and harried Italy on Matchday 1, those big-name Croatians should expect a frenetic encounter.

Key stat: Croatia's loss against Spain was only their third defeat in their last 13 EURO group stage matches (W7 D3).

18:00: Germany vs Hungary (Group A, Stuttgart)

Joy was understandably unconfined as Germany exploded into the finals with a 5-1 win against Scotland in Munich, Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz among the stars of an overwhelming performance, but a defeat and two draws in their last three games against Hungary suggest that they may not have everything their own way in Stuttgart. "Hungary are always uncomfortable opponents," said midfielder Emre Can. "They’re difficult to play against. I can remember the [2-2 draw] at EURO 2020 in Munich. We need to focus on ourselves. If we use the energy from our 5-1 win against Scotland, we’ll do well."

A 3-1 loss to Switzerland represented a false start for Hungary, six of whose squad play their club football in Germany. If Matchday 1 was a disappointing day at the office, Leipzig goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi did not believe it demanded a fundamental change from a side that made it through qualifying unbeaten. "We have a clear structure of how we want to play," the 34-year-old said. "Everyone knows where he needs to be and what his role is." Individual errors cost them against Switzerland. This time they will have to be pretty much perfect.

Key stat: Germany won their opening game of a European Championship for the eighth time against Scotland; no other team has managed more than six.

21:00: Scotland vs Switzerland (Group A, Cologne)

The Tartan Army turned up in huge numbers for Scotland's tournament opener, but Steve Clarke's team shrank in the spotlight, a 5-1 defeat leaving midfielder Callum McGregor eager to make amends against Switzerland. "Everyone will come at us and rightly so for a poor performance, but we can't let it derail us, we can't fall apart," he said. "[Switzerland and Hungary] will smell blood and it's up to us now to put it right."

Clarke said that Switzerland's ability to raise their game in major tournaments was an example for Scotland, and the Swiss certainly hit the ground running at EURO 2024, their 3-1 win over Hungary giving the impression that the knockout phase was already in sight for Murat Yakin's men. Captain Granit Xhaka, though, was keen to keep the focus on their next opponents. "We know the quality that Scotland have," said the Leverkusen man. "Big players who play for big teams."

Key stat: Switzerland have lost only one of their last eight EURO group stage matches (W4 D3).

Thursday's fixtures

15:00: Slovenia vs Serbia (Group C, Munich)
18:00: Denmark vs England (Group C, Frankfurt)
21:00: Spain vs Italy (Group B, Gelsenkirchen)