Scotland vs Georgia: A Crucial Euro 2024 Qualifier
Scotland will host Georgia in a crucial Euro 2024 qualifier at Hampden Park on Tuesday, June 20. The Tartan Army has had a perfect start to their qualifying campaign with three wins from three, beating Cyprus and 2010 World Cup winners Spain before completing a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Norway. Steve Clarke’s men sit top of Group A and can take a giant step towards qualification for Euro 2024 with another victory.
Georgia, on the other hand, has had a win and a draw in their first two games and will represent a stern test for Scotland. Spearheaded by Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Georgia will be looking to cause an upset and keep their hopes of qualification alive.
Team News
Scotland XI: Gunn, Hickey, Porteous, Hendry, Tierney, Robertson, McGregor, Gilmour, McGinn, Dykes.
Subs: Kelly, Clark, Souttar, Cooper, Taylor, Christie, Armstrong, Ferguson, Jack, McLean, Shankland, Nisbet .
Georgia XI: Mamardashvili, Kakabadze, Kashia, Kverkvelia, Gagnidze, Kiteishvili, Kvekveskiri, Lobzhanidze, Dvali, Kvaratskhelia, Mikautadze.
Subs: Loria, Gugeshashvili, Gvelesiani, Lochoshvili, Azarovi, Gocholeishvili, Shengelia, Chakvetadze, Altunashvili, Zivzivadze, Davitashvili, Kvilitaia.
Match Facts
– Lyndon Dykes has been directly involved in seven goals in his last eight appearances in Euros/World Cup qualifiers for Scotland, scoring five times while assisting a further two goals.
– Georgia’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has completed 13 dribbles in Euro 2024 qualifying so far, which is more than twice as many as any other player in Group A.
– Scotland have won each of their last nine qualifying matches for the Euros/World Cup, the longest such run in their history, keeping seven clean sheets in the process (excluding play-offs).
– Having won their first three games in qualifying for Euro 2024, Scotland will be looking to start a qualifying campaign for a major tournament (Euros/World Cup) with four successive wins for the very first time.
– Georgia have only lost one of their last 15 internationals (W11 D3), and are unbeaten in their last 10 competitive games across World Cup qualifying, Euro qualifying, and the UEFA Nations League (W8 D2); it’s their longest ever unbeaten run across those tournaments.
– Scotland have won their last five home games in all competitions. They last won six in a row between September 2006 and October 2007, with one of those wins coming against Georgia.
– The previous four games between Scotland and Georgia have all been won by the home team, with the Scots winning 2-1 in March 2007 and 1-0 in October 2014 on home soil.
– This is the fifth time Scotland and Georgia have faced, with all previous meetings coming in European Championship qualifiers. The last meeting was a 1-0 home win for Georgia in September 2015.
How to Follow
The match will kick-off at 7:45 pm at Hampden Park and will be broadcast live on ViaPlay Sports 1 from 7:15 pm. TalkSPORT will also have live updates of this game, with David Tanner reporting from Glasgow. To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream. You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
Conclusion
Scotland will be looking to continue their perfect start to their qualifying campaign and take a giant step towards qualification for Euro 2024 when they host Georgia at Hampden Park. However, Georgia will represent a stern test for Steve Clarke’s men, and they will need to be at their best to secure another victory. With both teams having talented players, it promises to be an exciting encounter.