ian1964

Lyon lost 2-1 at home to Marseille,so mixed results for our opponents

I'd leave Harley out,push McFadden further up and play Mculloch :cheers:

Southgate won't be there in January :cheers: With Huttons form there will be loads of speculation surrounding him

Group B showdown: Scotland poised to make history Saturday November 17 (all times GMT) Scotland v Italy 5pm Lithuania v Ukraine 6pm Wednesday November 21 Georgia v Lithuania 3.30pm Italy v Faroe Islands 7.30pm Ukraine v France 7.30pm If Scotland win They will qualify for Euro 2008. It would also mean France need just a point in Ukraine to qualify ahead of Italy. If Scotland draw They would qualify only if Italy lost to the Faroe Islands or France lost to Ukraine If Scotland lose They are eliminated, with France and Italy qualifying for Euro 2008 — The team that scored first has gone on to win each of the 11 Euro 2008 qualifying games Scotland have played so far — Scotland have used 29 players in their 11 group matches. In failing to qualify for Euro 2004, previous manager Berti Vogts used 33 players in only 10 matches — Only two players have featured in all Scotland’s qualifi ers so far – goalkeeper Craig Gordon and defender David Weir — James McFadden and Kris Boyd are the Scots’ Euro 2008 top scorers with four each TV match Scotland v Italy Saturday, Sky Sports 1, kick-off 5pm

I hope you're right Gribz :cheers:

Mmmmmmmmmmm,Stuttgart beat Bayern 3-1,never seen the game,ut it looks like they're hitting a bit of form,here's hoping they play shite against us

I think we've got to be confident of winning in Stuttgart,not saying it will be easy,but we're not a bad side either and after back to back games against the mighty Barca we should be well prepared,and I can't see Barca failing to eat Lyon,and then we're home and dry !!!!!!

You're not on your own with that view mate,as far as i'm concerned we actually looked a decent side,defended well, kept posession well,but we did fail in the last third and that's not a criticism just a fact,combined with the result at Ibrox I think we proved we are a good side and will get better

I'd much rather be playing Iyaly than a so-called smaller team,we're a hard team to beat at home so we have everychance in this match,canny wait for it,should be an incredible atmosphere and game and then PARTY !!!!!!!

ALEX McLEISH cranked up the pressure on Italy ahead of next week's Euro 2008 showdown by insisting the world champions just can't afford to lose at Hampden. The Scotland boss believes the Italian public will go crazy if their team fail to get the point they need to send them to Austria and Switzerland next summer. And McLeish is hoping that fear of failure will paralyse Roberto Donadoni's team next Saturday. He said: "We've got nothing to lose whereas they have everything to lose. "I'm sure if we beat them they will not be happy bunnies. There is more pressure on them because of the expectations of the Italian nation. "It doesn't matter how good they are - their players are only human and will be apprehensive about coming to Glasgow. "The expectation upon them is not just about qualifying but that they should be winning the tournament. "On the other hand our guys will be seen as heroes no matter what happens." So,for those of us are that are interested in the National team,it's a massive game for Scotland next week.To qualify all we have to do is beat the world champions,easy.No seriously how many people think we can do it ?,I believe we have a fighting chance as we are a hard team to beat at home,but it is a big ask and being Scottish we are all probably expecting another glorious failure,as I said Hampden is not an easy place to get a result for the opposition.The whole campaign has been a success and I think the players deserve to make it for the effort they have put in,but it is going to take a huge effort from the team,and with the Hampden Roar you just never know.

You could also say we rode our luck against Lyon !!!,I mean they did give us a bit of a run around,only difference was we managed to score.I'm not being negative here,we are a new team and getting better and will continue to get better,because of our start to the CL it's easy to get carried away and raise expectations,but as i've already said, when the draw was made I thought it would be good to get third spot in this tough group,which we've now secured,and in a strong position to qualify to the knockout stage

Aye, I know :cheers:

I don't need a history lesson to realise we got a football lesson tonight

We're still in a great position,better than expected IMO,althought I don't want to go into the last game against Lyon needing to win,or draw come to think of it,but at the end of the day we are still in there with a great chance of progressing

I understand your frustration mate,but qualifying for the knockout stages is as far as we are ever going to get,untill this changes,as you said we are not playing on a level playing ground :cheers:

Well,you're entitled to your opinion mate,but they played to thier strengths and we played to ours.If that is what you think then how come we don't qualify for the knockout stages every season,even when WS wasn't here ?

Hemdani was good,as usual,but I thought Hutton again showed just how far he has come on this season

C'mon though Pete,the results that Scotland and the Scottish teams proves we are getting better,i'm not happy that we got beat either,but we cannot expect to compete with Barca at the Nou Camp,I don't think we could have done a lot more tonight

And was that not the case when the draw was made ?,don't know about you but when the draw was made I thought we'd be lucky to finnish 3rd,that's our first defeat in seven european games this season inclluding a draw against the mighty Barca at Ibrox

You can only do what you are allowed to do,Barca work very hard at closing players down,I can't believe you are taking this defeat so hard

The facts are we cannot compete with the likes of Barca,who are a tremendous side,other than deploying the tactics that WS went with,LYON !!!, I was happy that we put up a good performance and never got a real doing,not only do Barca rip teams up going at them,but they work so hard to defend as well with two or three men surrounding any player whos has the ball,IMO we got outclassed tonight with pure quality.

One thing's for sure,they are going to batter us for the first half hour,if we can hold out then I think we have got a chance and have a right go at them

He played well,as did the whole team,however the new Ronaldo HA!HA!,like Scot Brown is the new Gazza..............you've got to laugh,where were they when they took a battering @ IBROX ?

Barca Boss Rijkaard's Praise As He Plots To Down Ibrox Men FRANK RIJKAARD insists some of Walter Smith's Rangers team could play for Barcelona - he just wouldn't name any of them. The Primera Liga side's coach was full of praise for tonight's Champions League rivals and tried to play down Lionel Messi's "anti-football" jibe in the wake of the 0-0 draw at Ibrox two weeks ago. Rijkaard is the only Barcelona coach to have secured a competitive victory over a Scottish club in their last 12 attempts and the Dutchman is impressed with the mentality of our players. He is looking for his side to blitz Rangers from the start at the Nou Camp but isn't expecting an easy ride from Walter Smith's players. Rijkaard said: "Rangers have made a very good start to the Champions League. "They have been very impressive and they are doing a great job. They have some players who could join a team like Barcelona, I have no doubt about that. But I never talk about names." Asked whether he concurred with Messi's assertion that Rangers' tactics at Ibrox went against the ethos of how the game should be played, Rijkaard claimed the Argentine's words were taken out of context. He added: "Lionel was only saying it was very complicated for us because Rangers defended very well. "I personally don't use the expression anti-football. Football exists in many forms and every team has the right to play in a way that is best for them. "It will be difficult for us because Rangers are a good team and can defend very well with good quality players. "It is important for us to score early to try to make Rangers come out. We want a good result and we have to open the game because we know Rangers will close it. "It's not a case of scoring early then thinking of the league. "This is a difficult, complicated and interesting match for us." The Barca coach believes Scottish clubs' fine record against his team stems from being motivated to beat the best. He said: "Scots have a very good team spirit and mentality. They are highly motivated whenever they play Barcelona. "It's complicated playing against Scottish teams but against smaller sides they have to make the game and that is where they sometimes have problems." Barcelona skipper Carles Puyol has warned Rangers to expect the Catalans to go for the jugular right from the start tonight in the Group E showdown. The Spaniards are still seething at their failure to turn all their possession into three points at Ibrox a fortnight ago and fear Rangers will try to put up the shutters again at the Nou Camp. Spanish international defender Puyol believes the best way to force the Scots to open up is for Barca to score early - and he is predicting an all-out onslaught on Allan McGregor's goal right from the start. Puyol said: "We always want to win. If Rangers come here with a defensive game we will try to score as soon as possible. "We don't know how they will play but if it is defensive we will have to try to get a goal right from the beginning. "I hope it will be a good game. We have a good team and so do Glasgow Rangers. "They are a really physical side so we will have to battle. "We didn't score a goal in Glasgow and I hope it won't happen again. "In Glasgow we had a lot of good occasions to score but didn't put the ball in the net. "But we have high quality players and I think our strikers and other players are ready to have a very good game. "It's going to be a very important night. We are well aware of how important the three points are and hopefully everything will be fine."

Chelsea are a great price @ 6/5 to beat Shalke think i'll have a single bet on them,although I fancy Liverpool 2/7 doesn't entice me,and also you can't write off Celtic at home 10/11