Mcleish suspects a very different Ukraine will arrive at Hampden this time
Quite by chance, former Scotland manager Alex Mcleish bumped into Ukraine’s squad immediately after they’d lost out to Wales in their World Cup play-off final in June.
He was taken aback by just how mentally drained their players appeared.
Now, as the national team prepares to play them twice in the space of seven days in order to have a shot at qualifying for Euro 2024, Big Eck suspects the pressure of trying to lift the spirits of their war-torn nation might just be getting too much for Oleksandr Petrakov’s side.
Mcleish is the only Scotland boss to have defeated the Ukrainians, when the teams met in a Euro qualifier in October, 2007.
He revealed: “I just happened to be in the same airport as their players after that match in Cardiff.
“You could tell that the failure to make the World Cup Finals in Qatar had really taken its toll on them.
“They looked devastated and deflated. “They’d been inspired when they beat us at Hampden by what had been happening in their country. But once they hadn’t made Qatar, all that energy just seemed to have been sapped right out of them.
“Carrying an entire country’s hopes can be an inspiration, but it can also be a burden.
“Right now, they’re just one point ahead of us at the top of the group, so this is our chance to exact a bit of revenge for that 3-1 play-off semi-final defeat.
“Personally, I can see us going full pelt, and getting the right result in both games against them.”
Even so, Mcleish knows just how difficult it will be for Steve Clarke’s side to take the minimum of four points from the games in Glasgow and Krakow they will probably need to top the table.
“Ukraine are a strong team, with some excellent individuals,” he said.
“I remember being at West Ham against Aston Villa last season, just after Russia had invaded Ukraine. It was 0-0 at halftime and Davie Moyes brought on Andriy Yarmolenko early in the second half.
“I turned to the people around me and
said: ‘If any of you are punters, I’d advise you to bet on this guy to open the scoring.’. And he did, in a 2-1 win.
“Unfortunately, Yarmolenko again proved how dangerous he can be when he scored the opener against us in Glasgow.
“It’s not good news for them that Oleksandr Zinchenko, who got an assist at Hampden and was their best player, is suspended for the first meeting. He’s made an immediate impact at Arsenal after moving from Manchester City, showing his leadership qualities with some strong performances.
“But don’t forget that we have some top players as well. Andy Robertson’s out, but that means we can move Kieran Tierney back to his best position at left-back.
“John Mcginn’s also been a revelation in midfield, supporting our front men, and it speaks volumes that Steven Gerrard made him his captain at Aston Villa.
“We might not have the superstar strikers we used to be able to call on, but Che Adams’ strength and speed has given Steve a different option, and the goals Lyndon Dykes claimed in the Euro 2020 campaign were vital.
“It may be almost 15 years ago, but I still remember that game against Ukraine.
“Kenny Miller and Lee Mcculloch put us two up early on, before Andriy Shevchenko gave us a headache by pulling one back.
“But that gave James Mcfadden the chance to work his magic, and make it 3-1.
“I’ll be watching on Wednesday night, and I just hope Steve gets a similar display and result to put us on top of the group.”