Scots peaking at just right time

Defender Berra feels momentum can get Strachan’s side over line

Peaking at the right time hasn’t been a characteristic of the Scottish national team for two decades.

But the current squad are showing signs that they may be capable of bucking the trend.

Three wins and a draw in their last four fixtures have revived a World Cup qualifying campaign that had been a slow-burner for an almost fatal period of time.

By defeating Slovakia at Hampden tonight, then backing that up with another victory in Slovenia on Sunday, the Scots will follow England over the Group F finishing line with their chest out and head ducked, powering onwards to the Russia 2018 play-offs next month.

Christophe Berra has been part of a few bids to get to championship finals but none with end-of-group momentum like this one has now built up.

“Sometimes it’s about how you finish, and this is the business end of the group stage,” said the Hearts skipper.

“We’ve managed two wins in a row against stuffy opponents, especially Lithuania away which has never been an easy game for us in recent history. We won comfortably and that gives us confidence.

“Slovakia have been to major tournaments recently and have top players in their squad so we’re going to have to be right on it.

“It wouldn’t be the first time at Hampden we’ve done well against top nations and hopefully we can raise our game again and put in an even better performance.

“First and foremost it’s about getting the three points, no matter if we play and pass the ball really well and score great goals or if it’s backs to the wall and we win 1-0. “It’s all about the three points. “Whatever team the manager puts out tomorrow, everyone will relish it. It is a massive game to be involved in and we all know the importance of it.

“It might be a nervy game, but if we perform as we did against Lithuania and Malta we will give ourselves a right good chance.”

What would also give them a right good chance would be another clean sheet.

There have been two of those in the last two games, an unlikely statistic

It wouldn’t be the first time at Hampden we’ve done well against top nations and hopefully we can raise our game again. CHRISTOPHE BERRA

given Scotland’s well-documented and long-standing problems at centre-back.

Three nils in a row for a Scottish backline would be a throw-back to the last successful campaign, France ’98.

“Obviously the last two games as a team we performed well,” said Berra.

“We scored goals and managed to keep the ball out of our net. That is what we are planning to do tomorrow as well.

“The back four has kept a few clean sheets so the two of us get a bit of credit for that but it is all about the team. People up at the top of the pitch put in the work too and it filters all the way down.”

Taking Scott Brown out of this team has robbed Scotland of their captain and leader.

Berra is a candidate to take the armband and will be a crucial on-pitch presence on a night when the stakes are at their highest.

“I think I have got more vocal as I have got older,” he said. “But one thing I try and do is lead by example on the pitch and do my job first and foremost.

“I put my head in where it hurts and hopefully people follow from that. We have got quite a young squad.”

World Cup and European Championships haven’t been kind to Berra’s generation but they now have an opportunity to change that.

“This is the first time maybe that I have been here when it has been in our own hands,” he said.

“If we win both our games then it will be job done in terms of getting to the play-offs, which is what we were aiming to do beforehand.

“I have looked at it the other way as well.

“If we had held on against England and got three points against Lithuania at home then we would be top of the group. But that is football, everyone can say that. Everybody could say ‘if we did this or did that’.

“We are where we are because of the results we have got and it is one game at a time now. If we get a win against Slovakia, we know it is still going to be a massive game against Slovenia, but our focus is all on this one just now.

“Slovakia have got top-quality players like Hamsik and Skrtel, to name a few, and another couple of players that we maybe haven’t heard of in Scotland. So it is going to be a tough game for us.

“They are going to be coming here high in confidence after being unlucky against England.

“It is at Hampden under the lights on a Thursday night. It is going to be a great occasion and it is all to play for.”