Scotland face Liechtenstein in their penultimate qualifying game for Euro 2012 knowing they need a win to keep their slim chances of reaching the tournament still alive – if only for a few days.
Craig Levein’s side sit third in the Group I and two points behind the Czech Republic – who face Spain on Friday night – and know they need four points from their final two qualification matches to stand a chance of making the play-offs.
The Scottish boss knows they face Spain in their final game so is not thinking about that and instead concentrating on the task in hand, making sure they get the result they need against the international minnows of Liechtenstein.
It took a 97th-minute header from Stephen McManus to beat Saturday’s opponents at Hampden Park but Scotland (2/7 to win – Match Betting) should take some confidence from the fact they remain in contention to get a play-off spot thanks to a win over Lithuania last time out.
While Scotland are strong at Hampden Park, the same cannot be said of their performances on their travels as they have failed to win either of their two matches on the road so far, going down 1-0 to the Czechs and drawing 0-0 with Lithuania in Kaunas.
Given that it would take a big challenge for Scotland to beat Liechtenstein (9/1 to win , 9/2 draw – Match Betting) on Saturday and then go on to get the point they need away at Spain on October 11th, provided the Czechs have not already sewn up second place before the final game, albeit with an unlikely win over Spain and a Liechtenstein surprise.
The first thing to concentrate on for Scotland is beating Liechtenstein, and their hopes have received a big boost with the shock return of captain Darren Fletcher. The Manchester United man had been expected to miss the game through tonsillitis, but had been pencilled in to possibly face Spain.
However, the skipper is set to meet up with the squad at their training base in Switzerland and Levein admits he will play on Saturday “if the medical team gives him the thumbs up”.
More good news for Scotland is that striker Kenny Miller (3/1 First Goalscorer) is likely to play in Vaduz as he has recovered quicker than expected from a groin problem. The presence of those two players will be huge for Scotland as Fletcher controls the midfield and Miller is the one proven international goal scorer in the squad.
Craig Mackail-Smith, David Goodwillie and Steven Naismith are the other attacking options if he does not make it, but none of those trio are really proven on the international stage and Miller has shown over the years he can lead the line on his own and get goals – he scored one and set up the other against the Czechs at Hampden Park.
The trio of Alan Hutton, Graham Dorrans and Barry Robson have all returned to training and are likely to be named to face Liechtenstein as Levein seems set to name a strong line-up for this crucial clash.
For the hosts there are concerns over top goalscorer Mario Frick, while they are without midfielder Franz Burgmeier – who has experience of British football during a spell with English side Darlington – due to suspension.
Even the staunchest of Scotland fans are likely to be confident of getting a result on Saturday and they need goals to really boost the confidence ahead of a massive game with Spain. It is still a long shot for the Scots to make Euro 2012 but if they are to go out, they are sure to go out fighting.
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