Pre-match nerves. “Ach, Scott.” There’s a disappointment-drenched phrase I’ve heard more times than I care to recall. Anyway, it’s Simon McMahon! “Here I was minding my own business, trying to play it cool and doing the usual Scottish thing in thinking we’ve got no chance, and then you go and post the greatest-ever Scotland goal by the greatest-ever Dundee United player at the greatest-ever World Cup, and all of a sudden I’m reaching for the whisky and thinking it’s in the bag. Then of course I remember that, after Narey’s opener in Seville in 1982, we lost that game 4-1. But either way, I’ve still got the whisky. We’re going to Germany, of that I have no doubt. Well, maybe just a little bit. Especially if we lose tonight. Which we will. I’ve no doubt about that either. Dave Narey, though. Come on Scotland!”
Oh Simon! I love it when you drink your whisky! (One for the Viz photo-story heads there.)
One bit of expected news: Kieran Tierney is injured, so Scott McKenna takes his place on the left side of central defence. One piece of slightly surprising news: Billy Gilmour is benched, in favour of Ryan Christie, who was a rare plus point from the England match and gives the midfield more of an attacking flavour. The other change from the game against England: Lyndon Dykes in for Ché Adams.
Scotland are so close, yet so far. They’ll become the first team to qualify for Euro 2024 if they draw with Spain in Seville tonight, or if Norway fail to win in Cyprus. However, those are big ifs.
If. If.
See?! Cyprus have lost all of their matches in Group A so far, shipping 17 goals at a rate of 3.4 a game, and this evening will have Erling Haaland bearing down on them. Spain have bounced back from their Scott-McTominay-infused defeat at Hampden by ramming seven past Georgia and six past the aforementioned Cypriots. Meanwhile Scotland are coming off the back of a no-show at the 150th Anniversary Heritage Match against England. So none of that’s ideal.
On the flip side, Scotland are on a run of five straight wins in Group A. They’re nine unbeaten in competitive fixtures, a sequence that featured promotion to the top tier of the Nations League. And perhaps most importantly of all, you can never write off any team that boasts the aforementioned goal machine McTominay. Never. Ask anyone from Batumi to Barcelona to Brentford about that. You just can’t.
So fingers crossed. And if anyone in dark blue can score a goal even half as good as the one David Narey managed across town at the Benito Villamarín during Copa Mundial de la Fifa España 1982™, so much the better. Kick off is at 7.45pm BST, 8.45pm at the Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla. It’s on!