FC Barcelona star İlkay Gündoğan is ready for his German national team squad to face Scotland, but knows it will not be an easy match.
“I expect a very uncomfortable game, I know many of their players from the Premier League. It’s an experienced team. They will be unpleasant to play against. We must not underestimate the Scots. I have respect for them, but if we reach our limits, I think we have a good chance of winning the game tomorrow,” said Gündoğan (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “It helped us that the coach assigned clear roles. After the negative experiences of the past tournaments, everyone knows what is at stake and what they have to do. That gives us a certain sense of security. The results in the test matches speak for the good morale and atmosphere in the team.”
Gündoğan would like to see the team lean from the mistakes it made against Greece during Germany’s 2-1 friendly win.
“It was a sign and a warning to the team. It showed us which mistakes we shouldn’t make. It’s better for that to happen in a test match than tomorrow. The first half was full of mistakes, we weren’t at our best. The fact that we turned the game around was important for all of us,” Gündoğan said.
The 33-year-old will also take the armband as the team’s captain — a role he is looking forward to. Per a new rule, the captain will be the only player allowed to talk to referees — any other player could be booked for an interaction.
“It’s a huge privilege not only to lead the team onto the pitch as captain, but also to play with my teammates in my country. You don’t get such a chance very often. I was at the fan festivals as a youngster in 2006. To now be part of this team and to represent the German people is an honour. We want to make them proud,” Gündoğan remarked. “I hope they understand that we are human and sometimes react like that. Sometimes we don’t have the best manners. I can understand the idea of the rule. A world-class referee has that empathy to assess difficult situations. I hope the referees show understanding. Complaints are part of the game. We love the game because it brings all the emotions. Without wanting to be disrespectful, I hope there won’t be too many yellow cards.”
When asked if he would like to score, the German indicated he would, but he would rather get the victory.
“I would take it, of course. Nevertheless, I would be happy, perhaps even more, if a teammate scored the opening goal. The main goal is to win the game,” Gündoğan said.
Looking for thoughts and analysis on Germany’s outlook for the EURO 2024 competition and an in-depth breakdown on the multitude of Bayern Munich transfer rumors — including the arrival of Hiroki Ito and the possible departures of Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, and Alphonso Davies, plus a whole lot more? Then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up on Spotify or below: