Scotland ready for Faroes, but not for local bird life

As the Tartan Army and their beloved Scottish national side prepare to take on Group B whipping boys Faroe Islands (who almost shocked Italy this weekend), the minnows seem to be getting some help from above. A goose flew into the Scotland team’s plane on Monday, denting its wing and forcing a delay of several hours before the team could get going for the isles. No matter – the boys are now on island, and preparing for Wednesday’s match. So, what can we expect from the matchup of Group B overachiever Scotland and the 195th-ranked team in the world?

Well, both teams are acutely aware of Saturday’s 2-1 Faroes v Italy result. It has given Faroes a reason to believe they can win, which is always dangerous is an underdog side, especially against Scotland, who have given up points to Faroes in the past. But, maybe more importantly, Scotland knows not to be complacent. Not only can Faroes hold Italy to two goals, they can score (they almost scored another to draw), and it won’t be enough to hold back and wait for opportunities. This Scottish side has not been the most productive in terms of goals in this Euro 2008 campaign (aside from their 6-0 shallacking of, oh yeah, the Faroe Islands), but have a new striker combo in Gary O’Connor and Kris Boyd. They looked good together in their first outing against Austria, where O’Connor scored the only goal. We’ll be looking for more this time around. My prediction, 4-1 Scotland, with Faroes scoring late in the first half before the Scots pull away.

This one may seem like a cake-walk, but given Scotland’s past with the Faroes, and their past in general in games they SHOULD win, there’s reason to be cautious. This is the one game that every one of the four competitors for the group’s two spots need to win … a draw is a loss.

Alba Gu Brath.

Category: Scottish Premier League

Tags: Euro 2008, Faroe Islands, Pre-game analysis, Scottish national side, Scottish Premier League, Tricky bastards trained a bird to run into our plane

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