World Cup fever: Scotland gear up for match build-ups throughout June
Scottish football podcasters and commentators alike are confident going into Scotland’s next run of fixtures throughout the start of June as the nation gears up for World Cup fever.
Scotland face the prospect of playing a potential five massive games in just two weeks with World Cup play-offs and Nations League fixtures getting underway.
The World Cup play-offs come first for Scotland with the tartan army seeing the nation take on Ukraine at Hampden on the 1st of June in the semi-final. A win for Scotland would reward them with a trip to Cardiff just four days later with a home nation tie against Wales to settle who gets to go to the World Cup in Qatar this November.
This is then followed up by three Nations League games in just six days between the 8th and 14th of June with two matches against Armenia to be played either side of an intriguing tie against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on the 11th.
Steve Clarke’s men provide plenty of confidence as they come into these games on a brilliant run of form which has seen them remain undefeated in their last eight games. This run extends all the way back to last September and involves big results such as a 2-0 win over Denmark and a 1-0 win away to Austria.
Andy Bargh from the Hampden Roar Podcast shared this confidence: “Yes, I am quite confident, for the Ukraine one I feel quite good, I know that there’s a kind of a swell of anxiety about it because of the situation Ukraine find themselves in. The country has had such a bad fight over the last few months and the game got quite rightly postponed but I’m glad that it’s going ahead, I don’t agree at all with the notion that Ukraine shouldn’t play this or shouldn’t be made to play this game and that they should just get a bye to the world cup etc. I think that’s nonsense, the players want to play the game, they’ve been at a training camp recently going around Europe and playing some club sides. I think that we should still have a really good chance against Ukraine, injuries for us aren’t great at the moment but I think Clarke has installed enough continuity and belief in the boys that hopefully there’s someone else that can just step in.”
Rory Hamilton, commentator for BT Sport and Premier Sports, added to this confidence surrounding Scotland: “What I would say about the current set-up is there’s evidence to base confidence on. They’re playing well, they’re getting results and they’re very difficult to beat, and with that in mind every game is certainly winnable.”
There is however worry in the injury department, especially in midfield and defence, as stars such as Billy Gilmour and Nathan Patterson remain doubts due to recent injuries despite inclusion in the squad, while Kieran Tierney misses out completely which is a real blow on the left side of the defence.
So, let’s have a look at each opposition individually, starting with Ukraine.
This is probably Scotland’s toughest game of the lot due to the emotional background that the game has. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine still ongoing, everyone will be looking for a Ukraine win which creates essentially a Scotland vs the world scenario which will be immense pressure for the Scottish players. It’s great to see that the Ukrainians have been able to fulfil this fixture after numerous understandable postponements over the last few months. It’s also good to see Ukraine be able to field a strong team with stars including Manchester City midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko, West Ham winger Andriy Yarmolenko, and Benfica striker Roman Yaremchuk. The last time these two sides faced was in 2007 in European Championship qualifying which seen Scotland win 3-1 at Hampden.
Winning the Ukraine tie sends Scotland off to Cardiff to take on Wales in the potentially most important games Scotland have played for decades and certainly the most important of games that they will play in June. Wales are essentially the benchmark of where Scotland want to be at the moment as both squads are very similar man to man but Scotland will have to be wary of star man Gareth Bale who previously scored a brace against them back in 2012. The Real Madrid winger may not see as much game time at club level anymore but he is certainly the first name on the team sheet for his national side. Scottish fans will also be well aware of other Welsh star Aaron Ramsey who played on loan at Rangers this season with a handful of appearances made since January, including coming on in the Europa League Final late on in extra time. Wales have an incredible home record while Scotland don’t tend to usually do too well in Cardiff, but it’s too hard to predict how this one will go.
The Armenia double header is arguably Scotland’s easier games, with the 92nd ranked team in the world being relatively unknown to the Scottish support. The Armenians do have some talent on their side, in which they showed by getting promoted into the B section of the Nations League. Star man from Roma Henrikh Mkhitaryan has recently announced his retirement from international football so he won’t feature, leaving Club Brugge striker Sargis Adamyan as Armenia’s main goal threat. Scotland should be expecting to pick up six points from this double header.
The Republic of Ireland game is another tough one to predict as Ireland are currently ongoing through a transition phase which has seen them perform poorly over the last couple of years. However, results are starting to come for Paddy Kenny’s side including a 2-2 draw with Belgium and a 0-0 draw with Portugal over the last few months. Star players for Ireland include Tottenham defender Matt Doherty and West Bromwich Albion striker Callum Robinson. Both sides last met in 2015 which saw a 1-1 draw in Dublin.
for Euro 2020, June 2021
