Scotland will welcome Switzerland to Hampden Park on Tuesday evening as Sébastien Pocognoli takes charge of his first home game as head coach, with both sides looking to strengthen their position in UEFA Nations League Group B1.
The Scots opened their campaign with a goalless draw against Slovenia, while Switzerland made a winning start by beating North Macedonia 3-0 away from home. Scotland therefore have one point from their opening match, compared with three for the Swiss.
Pocognoli’s first competitive game in charge ended without a goal despite Scotland creating several chances after the break. Robbie Ure struck the post, while Oli McBurnie and Kieron Bowie also went close.
The result extended Scotland’s current run without a goal to three internationals. The last time they failed to score in four consecutive matches was between February and May 1971.
Pocognoli will now experience his first game in front of the Scotland supporters at Hampden, with the new boss looking to build on the second-half improvement shown in Slovenia.
“We had a good camp (in La Manga). We reached all the aspects that we want to reach on the pitch but also off the pitch,” Pocognoli said before the Slovenia match.
He added: “I hope that the team will be well-balanced, well-focused, well-concentrated in the good moments but also maybe in the challenging moments of the game.”
Scotland remain without Scott McTominay, who is recovering from a minor heart procedure, while Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean have also withdrawn through injury. Kristi Montgomery was subsequently called into the senior squad.
Switzerland arrive after an impressive opening victory in North Macedonia. They produced 17 first-half attempts before eventually winning 3-0, with Remo Freuler opening the scoring and Zeki Amdouni adding two more.
Amdouni was directly involved in all three goals, setting up Freuler before scoring twice himself, while Zachary Athekame provided both assists for the striker on his international debut.
Switzerland were also without Granit Xhaka and Breel Embolo for their opener, but Yakin’s side showed they could still produce a convincing performance without two established players.
Their recent record underlines the challenge facing Scotland, with Switzerland’s only defeat in their last 10 internationals coming against Argentina after extra time in the World Cup quarter-final.
The Swiss have a mixed record against Scotland, winning just one of their last six meetings. They have also won only once in eight previous visits to Scotland, with that victory coming at Hampden in March 2006.
The most recent meeting ended 1-1 at Euro 2024, when Scott McTominay put Scotland ahead before Xherdan Shaqiri equalised.
Scotland will therefore be looking to turn their promising periods of play into goals against a Switzerland side that arrives in Glasgow with confidence after its opening-day victory. For Pocognoli, Tuesday represents the next step in a new era and his first opportunity to lead Scotland at Hampden.
