CLARKE TARGETS WEAK LINKS IN SERBIA
Manager: Scotland know where to strike in Belgrade
STEVE CLARKE has identified weaknesses in the Serbia team he believes Scotland can exploit and has urged his players to show no fear in the Euro 2020 play- off final tonight.
Clarke’s team are underdogs going into their meeting with Ljubisa Tumbakovic’s side in the Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade this evening.
Their opponents overcame highly- fancied Norway in Oslo in their semi- final last month and are widely expected to book their place in next summer’s rescheduled tournament.
However, Clarke feels the hosts are far from infallible and is confident his team will be able to cause serious problems.
“Obviously we look at Serbia and know what their strengths are,” he said. “I have to make sure the team I pick can nullify those strengths but also exploit their weaknesses.
“Every time you look at the opposition you are looking for something you can hopefully exploit. What I would say about Serbia is that they weren’t particularly great in the lead up to the Norway game. But when the big one came around in Oslo they produced their best performance in five or six games.
“So we know to expect their best performance, their best players and their best team. We have to be ready for that. But, yes, we have identified one or two things that can maybe cause them a problem and hopefully you’ll see that tomorrow night.”
Scotland go into the Serbia game on the back of an eightgame unbeaten run and Clarke believes his charges must be confident about their chances.
“I think it’s imperative,” he said. “Players can smell straight away if you’ve got a bit of tension or you’re a little bit worried about the opposition.
“We know we have prepared properly. The players will get information from all the coaching staff and they’ll see we’re all on- side. And they’ll see we’re confident. We don’t go around shouting about it, but we’re quietly confident.
“We’ve worked hard as a management team and as a group of players. And I don’t think we could be better prepared.”