Scotland's Pressley in bullish mood

Scotland coach Steven Pressley is confident of not only defeating Iceland but embarking on a winning streak which will take them all the way to the World Cup.

The Scots are keen to kickstart their qualifying campaign again after stalling in Holland at the weekend.

The 3-0 defeat in Amsterdam leaves them joint second in Group Nine with Iceland, meaning maximum points from the clash at Hampden is now essential.

At the moment, Scotland are not even in a position to qualify for a play-off spot as one of the best-placed runners-up but Pressley firmly believes victory tomorrow can be the start of a run of victories.

“Without doubt,” he said. “A few of our remaining fixtures are at home and I think we are very capable of doing that.

“First and foremost we have to take care of Iceland on Wednesday. We are building towards that and we are confident we will win that game.

“We are also very confident about the future. The squad is developing. We took a lot of positives from Saturday’s game and we still believe we can qualify.

“We’ve got some good footballers, some great characters, young hungry players and good experience. All the aspects of the squad are good at this time and I still genuinely believe we can qualify.”

Scotland boast a 100% record over Iceland in their previous five meetings and Pressley has promised a positive approach to this game.

He said: “The key for Wednesday night is that we impose ourselves on the game. It’s our home game.

“I’m sure Iceland will come and try to contain us and the emphasis will be on us to try to win the game and I believe we have the players to do so.”

Iceland’s biggest threat is, of course, Barcelona star Eidur Gudjohnsen but Pressley insists the Scots can nullify him once again after keeping him quiet in Reykjavik.

He said: “He is obviously a top player and he has played at top clubs but we handled him exceptionally well out in Reykjavik and we have the players to do so again.

“We employed Scott Brown out there in a defensive midfield role, as we did in Amsterdam, and he seems to relish that role. He certainly nullified Gudjohnsen that night.

“We look forward to the challenge. It’s not just about Gudjohnsen, they have many talented players. But, if we are right, we will win the game.”