Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay is relishing locking horns with the Republic of Ireland at a packed Hampden in the Nations League next year.
Following Thursday night’s draw in Nyon, Switzerland, Steve Clarke’s side have been paired in Group B1 with top seeds Ukraine, Republic of Ireland and Armenia.
The Scots will also face Ukraine in the World Cup qualifiers in March in Glasgow, with the victors taking on Wales or Austria.
We've been drawn in League B Group 1 in the UEFA #NationsLeague draw.
🇺🇦 Ukraine
🏴 Scotland
🇮🇪 Republic of Ireland
🇦🇲 ArmeniaThoughts on that? pic.twitter.com/trgEhDR5lU
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) December 16, 2021
Manchester United star McTominay, whose last-gasp World Cup qualifying winner against Israel in October won him a Scotland supporters’ moment of the year award, is relishing this latest set of challenges.
He said: “We are getting used to playing different teams now. Whoever we play against now, we’re looking forward to it.
“We play Ukraine in March then we’ll see them again in the Nations League. We also have a good rivalry with Republic of Ireland, so for us it’s a chance to stamp our authority on that group. So, we are just looking to keep picking up points and keep doing well.
“The atmosphere when we play Republic of Ireland at Hampden will be amazing, likewise with the other teams it will be electric.
“People can see now we’re doing good things and working hard.”
Boss Clarke, whose Nations League group win helped them reach Euro 2020 via the play-offs, also had the Tartan Army in mind as he reacted to the draw.
He said: “When you’re in a draw with teams of the same level, you’re going to expect three difficult opponents. That’s what we got. It’s a good draw.
“The games against the Republic of Ireland will always be good for the supporters and hopefully we can make them good on the pitch for both sets of fans.”
And the Hampden manager, who was capped six times for his country, also explained the top and lowest seeds will present their own challenges in the competition.
He added: “We’re going in against Ukraine for the World Cup play-offs, so we’re going to know one another pretty well over the next few months.
“We’re hoping to be successful, but we recognise Ukraine as a difficult opponent. They’re a top team which did really well in Euro 2020.
👏 Congratulations to Scott @McTominay10 – you voted his last-minute winner against Israel as the @TennentsLager Moment of the Year for 2021. pic.twitter.com/nfOahg1JIH
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) December 16, 2021
“Armenia are a little bit of an unknown for us. They have done well this year and got some good results. They beat Romania and Iceland, so they will also be difficult opponents, but they are all good matches to look forward to.”
Steady improvement can lead to top
With Scotland in tier B, Clarke sees no reason why they cannot try to join the elite European nations by gaining qualification as winners.
He said: “When you enter the group, you want to finish as high as possible. You want to try and develop as a team. We feel like we’re a team on the up and improving in every match we play.
“We want to try and get better and better and if that gets us enough points in the group, which allows us to qualify for the A level groups then that would be a great achievement for us.”
Coach Naismith ‘doesn’t fear anyone’
Scotland will battle it out over four fixtures next June, with the last two games taking place next September. The specific dates will be confirmed on Friday.
Steven Naismith, who has been capped 51 times for his country, is now part of Clarke’s backroom staff.
He joked that avoiding drawing Israel for what would have been a third successive time in the competition was a relief.
He said: “One of the biggest things for me wasn’t the actual teams but it was about avoiding Israel. That was the biggest positive.
“The success we have had on the back of (qualifying) first time round. We know how valuable it can be and we have got to be happy with the draw.
“We have the Ukraine in March and we play them again soon after, but we’re in a good place and we don’t fear anybody.”
Singer Callum Beattie, who was part of the post-draw show screened online by the Scottish FA, said: “Ukraine will be a tough draw, they are no pushovers, but we are twice the team Ireland are, so I think we’ll be alright.”
Even matches look likely in group
Scotland and the Ukraine have only met twice before, with one win apiece during qualification for Euro 2008.
In the head-to-heads with the Irish, it’s locked at four wins each and three draws.
The two sides last met in qualification for Euro 2016, with Shaun Maloney’s memorable strike giving Scotland a home victory before they drew 1-1 in Dublin.
We found out our 2022 UEFA #NationsLeague opponents this evening, as the draw was made in Nyon.
We'll take on our World Cup play-off opponents Ukraine, Republic of Ireland – and we'll face Armenia for the first time at Men's Senior International level.https://t.co/KLvVo46T62
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) December 16, 2021
Scotland have never faced Armenia before, but the fourth seeds for the group have been improving, taking four points from six against Iceland and beating Romania in their qualification group for the 2022 World Cup.
The winner of Scotland’s group will be promoted to the top tier for the next edition of the Nations League, with the bottom side dropping to Group C.
The full Nations League draw is – D1 Latvia, Andorra, Kazakhstan/Moldova, Liechtenstein, D2 – San Marino, Cyprus/Estonia, Malta.
C1 – Turkey, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Faroe Islands, C2 – Northern Ireland, Greece, Kosovo, Cyprus/Estonia, C3: Kazakhstan/Moldova, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Slovakia, C4: Gibraltar, Georgia, North Macedonia, Bulgaria.
B1 – Armenia, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Ukraine, B2 – Albania, Israel, Russia, Iceland, B3 – Montenegro, Romania, Finland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, B4 – Slovenia, Serbia, Norway, Sweden.
A1 – France, Denmark, Croatia, Austria, A2 – Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Czech Republic, A3 – Italy, Germany, England, Hungary, A4 – Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Wales.
