Scotland need a miracle to spoil the party as Euro 2024 kicks off
Upon landing in Germany on Sunday, Scotland's first port of call was a welcome party from the mayor of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, an Alpine ski town and their base for the tournament.
Aston Villa's John McGinn was soon dusting off his Bavarian dance moves.
There has been an air of calm about the Scots' first week in Germany as they gear up to face the hosts in tonight's opening game, but, in truth, their preparations have been far from plain sailing.
Brentford's Aaron Hickey, Everton's Nathan Patterson and Bologna's Lewis Ferguson were already ruled out of the tournament when, on its eve, Liverpool's Ben Doak and QPR striker Lyndon Dykes suffered further injuries.
Dykes's absence deprives manager Steve Clarke of his favoured No9 and leaves Southampton's Che Adams as the only striker.
The goalscoring onus now falls to players in other positions, such as McGinn and Scott McTominay.
The Manchester United midfielder is, at least, somewhat braced for that role, having been their leading marksman in qualifying with seven goals and with 10 goals for United last season.
Facing a revitalised Germany at Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena tonight is a challenge not lost on Clarke, whose side finished bottom of Group D at Euro 2020, when two defeats sandwiched a goalless draw with England.
"We can't sit on the edge of our box and defend for 98 minutes,” Clarke said this week. "The opposition need to know we can hurt them."
We can't sit on the edge of our box and defend for 98 minutes
Scottland head coach Steve Clarke
A tough ask, though. Germany will be playing in front of a home crowd, with Real Madrid's Toni Kroos back from retirement to guide young stars Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala through it.
The Scots will be praying for better luck than when they faced Brazil in the opening game of France 98, going down 2-1, thanks to Tom Boyd's own goal.
Clarke has spent much of this week in deep thought, admitting on Tuesday there were two positions where he was "still mulling over" who to start.
At least his options have increased in recent days, Lawrence Shankland and Stuart Armstrong recovering from injuries. Andy Robertson, Scotland's captain and rabble-rouser, limped out of training on Monday but is fit to play.
Clarke has been widely lauded for his five-year stint, and the 2-0 qualifying win over Spain last March offers the Tartan Army tangible hope they can compete in Germany.
That said, while being involved in the opener is a spectacle, playing the villain on the hosts' big night could prove a thankless task.
Plenty of Scotland fans will be hoping to simply avoid embarrassment tonight, believing the real work starts against Switzerland on Wednesday.
Yes, the four best third-placed teams will make the round of 16, but Scotland are unfancied in a group containing Germany, Hungary and the Swiss.
Switzerland have been at every major tournament bar one since Euro 2004 and possess genuine Champions League pedigree, including Granit Xhaka. Hungary lack stars, besides Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai, but are well set up and many pundits' dark horses.
The Scots must seek to spoil the party, summoning the spirit that saw them reach the finals at the expense of Norway. As they embark on their 12th major tournament, can this be the first where they avoid a first-round exit? "The bottom line is we need four points to come out the group,", said Clarke.
Their quest to achieve it starts tonight — and all of Europe will be watching.
