Euro 2024: Ally McCoist believes Scotland’s chances rely heavily on the performance of their star player, John McGinn.

Ally McCoist, the former Scotland striker, believes that John McGinn will play a crucial role in Scotland’s campaign at UEFA Euro 2024 this summer. McCoist is confident that McGinn, the Aston Villa midfielder, can lead a talented squad to new heights and help them progress from the group stage of a major tournament for the first time.

McCoist highlighted the improved standard of players in the Scottish squad, including Andrew Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Scott McTominay, and Callum McGregor. However, he believes that McGinn’s energy, leadership qualities, playing style, and goalscoring ability will make him the most important player for Scotland.

The format of the tournament, with 16 teams progressing from the group stage, including the four best third-place teams, is seen as an advantage for Scotland by former England midfielder Joe Cole. He expects a tight battle for second place in the group between Scotland, Switzerland, and Hungary, behind expected group winners Germany. Cole believes that Scotland’s organization and ability to grind out results will see them through to the knockout stages.

McCoist also emphasized the benefit of having four of the best third-place teams progressing, expressing his frustration that previous Scottish squads with arguably more talented players had not managed to qualify from the group stage. He acknowledged that goalscoring could be a challenge for Scotland but believes that players like McTominay and McGinn have the ability to contribute goals.

Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand believes that the passionate support of Scotland’s Tartan Army can give the team an extra boost, similar to the impact Wales had in their run to the Euro 2016 semi-finals. Ferdinand sees the enthusiasm and passion of the fans as an additional advantage for Scotland.

Steve McManaman, who represented England at two European Championships, predicts that Scotland will finish third in their group behind Germany and Hungary. He believes that their match against Switzerland will be crucial to their hopes of qualification and hopes that Scotland can secure a comfortable victory to boost their chances of progressing as one of the best third-place teams.

Overall, there is optimism among these sports journalists from England that Scotland has a good chance of progressing from the group stage at UEFA Euro 2024, with John McGinn being identified as a key player for their success. The support of the Tartan Army and the tournament format are seen as additional factors that could work in Scotland’s favor.