Soccer UEFA Euro Qualification - Group Stage

Scotland vs Georgia - Match Preview

⚽ 20 June 2023 - 18:45 GMT +0

While like so many other teams, Scotland failed to quell the irresistible Erling Haaland, Steve Clarke’s men battled valiantly to secure a 2-1 win over Norway thanks to two late goals. That result marked a third successive victory to kick off their Euro 2024 qualification campaign, with Scotland captain Andy Robertson now insisting his nation “have to qualify” for next summer’s showpiece event in Germany.

No one looks like stopping Scotland at the moment, but the visit of Georgia does pose the threat of an unlikely banana skin given Clarke’s side has lost two of the last three H2Hs (W1). Both those defeats came on Georgian turf though, with Scotland winning the only two H2Hs they’ve hosted, which should boost belief Scotland can take another stride towards securing a spot at back-to-back Euro championships for the first time since 1996.

Georgia won’t be so keen to roll over and allow Scotland to take that step, as they themselves have made an unbeaten start to Group A (W1, D1). Coming into this round of fixtures, Georgia sit in second place, and with nearest rivals Spain not playing this month due to their Nations League engagements, this does feel like a great chance for Willy Sagnol’s much-improved side to open a little daylight to third place.

Having won their opening away game in this qualification cycle (2-1 v Cyprus), Georgia could now post successive wins in Euro qualifiers on their travels for the first time since 1995. They’ll have to do something they haven’t done since then though, and that’s win on the road in this competition against a nation ranked inside FIFA’s top 100, with their four away victories since 1995 all coming against relative minnows.

📋 Players to watch: Scotland’s Scott McTominay will be glad to see a home game come around so quickly given he scored a brace in each of their last two Euro qualifiers at Hampden Park. Georgia may look to Georges Mikautadze to counteract his threat considering he’s netted in their last two Euro qualifiers, both times before the hour mark.

⚡ Hot stat: Georgia is unbeaten in ten competitive internationals, the longest such run in their history (W8, D2).