Scotland will finally kick off their UEFA Nations League tournament on Wednesday with a visit from Armenia. The teams will meet in League B Group 1 in Glasgow. Armenia go into the game ranked 92nd in the world compared to Scotland at No. 39.
The Scots are coming off of World Cup qualification failure after losing to Ukraine in the 3-1 in the playoff semifinal. Now, manager Steve Clarke must get the squad up for Wednesday’s game with Armenia and a battle for first place in Group 1.
Our @UEFA Nations League campaign kicks off tomorrow against Armenia 🙌Build up to the game with the full match preview below.#SCOARMhttps://t.co/x63i6CohxY— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) June 7, 2022
Our @UEFA Nations League campaign kicks off tomorrow against Armenia 🙌Build up to the game with the full match preview below.#SCOARMhttps://t.co/x63i6CohxY
Armenia claimed a 1-0 win against the Republic of Ireland to kick off the UEFA Nations League. It is was a surprise result as FC Krasnodar player Eduard Spertsyan scored the game’s only goal in the 74th minute for the victory.
The Armenians had a wretched 2021 in which they failed to win any of their seven FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
This year has been slightly better as Armenia hold wins over Montenegro and Ireland. Sandwiched between those 1-0 victories was a 9-0 defeat to Norway.
Clarke should use a similar starting XI to the one that played against Ukraine in the World Cup qualifiers. Craig Gordon is likely to start in goal with Scotland playing a 3-4-1-2 formation.
Scott McTominay was used as a central defender against Ukraine along with Grant Hanley and Liam Cooper. McTominay is naturally a central midfielder and could make way for an out-and-out defender.
Billy Gilmour was slated for his performance versus Ukraine. He could miss out on the starting XI with Ryan Christie or Stuart Armstrong starting. Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes should get the nod in the Scottish attack.
Armenia picked up just 32% of the match’s possession against Ireland. Still, they collected 10 shots with three on target.
Armenia gave up 13 shots with two on target to the Irish. Scotland will take advantage of having so many shots if Armenia’s defence allows them the chances.
Lucas Zelarayán will miss the game for Armenia. He is nursing an injury. He is one of the few non-domestic or Eastern European based players playing for the Armenia national team. Defender Kamo Hovhannisyan of Astana will be searching for his 69th cap. He leads the team in appearances.
Armenia started the competition well with a surprise 1-0 win against Ireland. Scotland are coming off of the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup. Wednesday’s game in Glasgow should finish in a 1-1 draw with neither side able to get the upper hand.