The Scots will be based in the Bavarian ski resort of Garmisch Partenkirchen when they reach the host nation, where they face Germany in the tournament’s opening game before taking on Switzerland and Hungary.

Steve Clarke’s desire for his side to continue testing themselves against top quality opposition will be satisfied by a game against the Dutch , currently ranked eighth in the world, on March 22.

The Scottish Football Association are also still in negotiations with other associations about a home game during the same window, probably on Tuesday, March 26. A prospective friendly against Switzerland was nixed after the teams were drawn together in Group A.

The countdown to the tournament has already begun. Clarke will spend the next weeks and months putting the finishing touches to his 23-man squad although he has already stressed that its composition won’t differ markedly from those announced during the qualification campaign.

It’s understood that Newcastle United forward Anthony Gordon, who qualifies for Scotland through his grandparents, is a non-starter. He has enjoyed an excellent season for his club and scored the winning goal against Manchester United as recently as Saturday.

His sights are understandably fixed on England. This is also the case with teammate Elliot Anderson, who had a brief dalliance with Scotland earlier this year when he was called up to Clarke’s squad for games against Cyprus and England. He had already left the squad by the time of the first fixture citing a knock picked up in training. Born in Whitley Bay, the 21-year-old is also understood to be pinning his hopes on an England cap following a change of heart.