Scotland manager Gordon Strachan has urged his players to keep their cool amid the noise and emotion of the Tartan Army in tonight’s must-win World Cup qualifier against Slovakia at Hampden Park.
The Scots need the victory in order to keep on track for next month’s play-offs going into Sunday’s final Group F fixture against Slovenia in Ljubljana.
With roughly 45,000 tickets already sold, the national stadium is heading towards a sellout as the Scots supporters rally behind their side in their hour of need.
Strachan says his players must not allow the atmosphere to influence their performance and he said: “The atmosphere will change every minute of the game, from ‘yes, this is great,’ to ‘here we go’.
“While that is going on with the supporters, who are entitled to do that, we have to stay at a level that is not being affected by that.
“I think Europe helps that with the Celtic lads. They have to stay above the excitement and the depression and stay at the same level. That’s what European football gets you.”
Scotland are aiming to be in contention on the final day of a group campaign for the first time since 2009 when a late 1-0 home defeat by Holland ended their hopes of reaching the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
In the last qualifying campaign, for last summer’s European cham-pionship finals in France, an equaliser from Poland attacker Robert Lewandowski with the last kick of the ball killed off Scotland’s hopes, ensuring a 2-2 draw in the penultimate group match at Hampden Park.At the business end of the campaign, Strachan has stressed his players must not lose their concentration, adding: “Just remind them to stay focused. In the Poland game, we did something at a free kick all the way through the campaign and we thought we had got it.
“Then we forgot about it right at the last minute. But then again the Republic of Ireland, who had had their backs to the wall, scored a goal to beat Germany 1-0. We played very well that night. There are wee things. People have to stay focused. But there is only so much I can do as a coach. They have to stay focused themselves.
“It is a nervous bit but in any big time sport you get this, such as if you are a golfer coming into the last two holes two ahead.
“If you are down in tennis and someone is serving for the match can you deal with that? You get this in any sport.”
Meanwhile, Slovakia manager Jan Kozak has told his players to savour every minute of tonight’s showdown.
Victory at Hampden for the visitors will all-but confirm Kozak’s men as Group F runners-up and leave the hosts’ World Cup dreams in tatters.
With so much at stake, Kozak has urged his players to put on a display they will be able to remember with pride.
“It will really be a showdown,” said the veteran coach. “We want to show what we’re capable of.
“Thank God we have this type of game despite having had a very poor start to the qualifying campaign.
