Scotland lowdown: Reasons to be cheerful, fearful and everything else you need to know
Finding fine form: Scotland manager Steve Clarke (centre) during a training session at Oriam, Edinburgh. Pic: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire.
A similar story to Ireland, laced with fluctuations. An eight-match unbeaten run between the end of last year and start of this included six straight victories but two defeats in their last five carried more relevance.
Their World Cup qualification drought was extended to at least 28 years by Ukraine ending their tilt in the playoff semi-final and Ireland inflicted their only Nations League defeat of the campaign in Dublin.
This latest Uefa competition has been much kinder to the Scots, who won their group in the first 2018 version to gain promotion to League B where they came within two points of edging out of Czech Republic for top spot.
They’ve yet to lose a game in the competition at home, winning six matches and drawing once Not much separates the countries, shown by Ireland sitting just two places behind Scotland’s Fifa ranking of 45.
A Chelsea legend from his playing days, Clarke’s first venture into coaching was at Newcastle United, working under his former boss Ruud Gullit.
It was back at Chelsea during Jose Mourinho’s decorated spell that his expertise in the background came to prominence, before another link with the club was formed by joining West Ham United alongside Gianfranco Zola for two years.
There was a brief stint assisting fellow Scot Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool, a prelude to graduating into standalone management at West Bromwich Albion in 2012.
Further jobs came up at Reading and Kilmarnock, either side of a few months on the Aston Villa staff, before his country came calling in May 2019.
A win record of 47% from his 38 games at the helm is not to be sniffed at and he’ll always be remembered for leading the Tartan Army to the delayed Euro 2021 finals.
Stephen Kenny was accurate when describing the Glasgow venue as historic, for it still holds the record for the largest attendance at a European international match – all of 149,415 packing in for the 1937 visit of England.
Rebuilt in 1999, the most recent of the three European Cup/Champions League finals it was staged was three years, the scene of a sumptuous Zinedine Zidane winner for Real Madrid.
Holding just over the Aviva Stadium’s 51,000 capacity, all tickets for tonight’s game are sold out.
Stephen Kenny’s finest day so far as Ireland manager, the 3-0 thumping of the Scots, hasn’t receded and is a pedestal Ireland can work off for this return match. The visitors were no match for a sparkling Ireland performance, a repeat of which should reap a similar dividend.
Seldom does the opportunity present itself for six days of preparation. Contrast that with the Scots, still battled and worn from a bruising win over Ukraine on Wednesday, and the fitness advantage is apparent.
The goalkeeper hitting 40 on New Year’s Eve does not possess the same agility and flexibility as the version Roy Keane paid €11m for in 2007. Now back at his first club Hearts, he’s there to be exposed if Ireland generate the nous to test him.
Two of Ireland’s veteran defenders, Shane Duffy and Séamus Coleman, have two Premier League minutes between them, the latter clocking none.
Their leadership in the heat of battle is desirable but form being a factor, one, or both, could be left out.
Another reason, a failed deadline day bid, explains Michael Obafemi’s limited gametime.
That’s a problem too, given the confidence he tends to thrive on.
Clarke’s side didn’t merely nudge Ukraine out, they pummeled the tier’s top nation. All of their players with big-name clubs like John McGinn, Scott McTominay and Kieran Tierney clicked and it had Hampden rocking.
Something similar is expected against an Ireland side considered inferior in quality.
Margin of error is non-existent approaching the last third of the campaign.
For any hope of first the top spot target to be revived, Ireland will have to do what they failed in the previous 26 matches under Kenny by winning back-to-back matches.
A brace for Dykes off the bench against Ukraine puts him in pole to start and his physical presence will have to be suppressed.
With question marks of Shane Duffy’s involvement, Egan could be tasked with marshalling his fellow Championship player. The Corkman has proven previously his ability to keep taller strikers in check.
A North London dual is in store and Tierney won the previous battle during Arsenal’s 2-1 win at the Emirates 18 months ago. Each are armed with defensive and attacking strengths, partial to raiding down the flank at pace.
Cullen has been the one constant in Ireland’s midfield and his challenge will be to close the space McGinn excels in exploiting. If that requires the Burnley playmaker sitting on top of his back three, so be it, for the Aston Villa trickster is matchwinner material.
Of the 12 meetings, Ireland won five, drew three and lost four. Crucially in the history books, meetings for qualification during the 1988 and 2016 Euros campaigns went the way of Ireland.
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