Plastic will be drastic for his boyhood idol
“Playing against Jermain, you can see he’s obviously a top-class player,” said the Livi man.
“It’s just little things, like his movement, and he’s obviously a top finisher. If he gets the slightest chance, he’s going to take it.
“It’s the same with Alfredo Morelos, who’s another top player. But these are the sort of games you enjoy. You want to test yourself against the best and see how you get on.
“Jermain’s record over the years shows you what an athlete he is. He obviously looks after himself very well.
“You don’t go to World Cups – and score – if you’re not a half-decent player. So he must be doing something right.
“Can he do it on a plastic pitch in Livingston? Hopefully not! We’ll find out!”
Guthrie spent seven years in England’s third and fourth tiers with Crewe Alexandra and Walsall before Livi came calling.
At 27, the move north wasn’t as much of a no-brainer as it might have been for a younger man.
But having initially needed some persuasion from gaffer Gary Holt – and former Walsall team-mate Nicky Devlin – he is now loving life in West Lothian.
“It was just weighing everything up really,” he explained.
“I had a few offers d ow n England, and maybe my fiancee took more persuading than me.
But I was getting to a good age in my career and I just wanted to make sure I got it right.
“In the last couple of years, I got relegated and wasn’t enjoying my football very much and I wanted to go somewhere where I could.
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“This was a fresh start, it felt exciting, and having spoken to Nicky, he said it was a great place to play and the big games would make it worth it.” Devlin’s forecast has so far proven correct. And Guthrie, with his girlfriend set to join him in Scotland before Christmas, has bought fully into Livi’s way of working
“We like our underdog status as a club. We thrive off it,” he said.
“It’s not easy coming here. We’ve proved that against most teams.
“Our home record is pretty decent – especially last season – so I think that’s something we can thrive on.
“We get in people’s faces, and as long as it’s working for us, it doesn’t bother us what people say.”