Albania result has boosted morale, claims McKenna

Scott McKenna wants another Shkoderstyle performance from Scotland when they take on Israel in their crucial Nations League game at Hampden Park tonight.

The Scots’ emphatic 4-0 win over Albania on Saturday took them to six points in Group C1 section along with Andreas Herzog’s side.

Only a win, however, for the home side will take them into the play-off spot for the 2020 European Championships and the Aberdeen centre-back is looking to reach the same standards achieved in the Loro Borici Stadium.

He said: “It was a great performance from the boys on Saturday, to go out and beat a team 4-0 away from home.

“It fills us full of confidence and hopefully we can take that into the game tomorrow. We need to replicate that as much as we can and I am sure if we do that we will get another positive result. “We know what is at stake.

“It has always been our aim to qualify at the top of the group. The confidence is in the group from Saturday and we have to try to replicate that.”

A lot was made of the positive effects of Scotland returning to a back-four against Albania, after the failure of three at the back in the 2-1 defeat by Israel last month.

McKenna played down the importance of systems but admitted to being more at ease with a four.

He said: “It might have helped us but at the end of the day we are all professional footballers and we should be able to adapt to whatever formation the manager wants us to play in.

“But personally, I have played in a four a lot more at my club and I felt comfortableinitandIthinkthatshowed in the performance.”

Scott McKenna is “more at ease” when playing in a back-four.