UEFA EURO 2020 Qualifier

Cyprus v Scotland

Saturday, 16 November 2019, kick-off 2pm

GSP Stadium, Cyprus

Scotland face Cyprus in the penultimate game of 2019 as Steve Clarke looks to build momentum ahead of the UEFA Nations League play-offs next March.

With automatic qualification unattainable, the squad face two final games in Group I in a bid to be prepared for next year’s crucial matches.

After putting six past San Marino last month, the Scots face one final trip to take on Cyprus before returning to Hampden to bring the group stages to a close against Kazakhstan.

Cyprus sit one point ahead of Scotland as the two side’s look to battle for third spot, with Saturday’s opponents ending their campaign with a clash against Belgium on Tuesday.

Previous meetings

Steve Clarke’s reign as Scotland boss began with a pulsating 2-1 win over Cyprus back in June.

Andy Robertson, a week on from lifting the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool, thundered an unstoppable strike in to the top corner to open proceedings on the hour mark.

It looked like Clarke’s first match would end in disappointment when the visitors pulled level through right-back Kousoulos, who silenced Hampden Park in the 86th minute.

Two minutes later, the home crowd erupted.

A delightful cross from Ryan Fraser was glanced goalward by substitute Oli Burke, who reacted the quickest when his header struck the post to fire home the rebound for his first goal in a Scotland shirt. Clarke led the celebrations from the touchline as the Tartan Army wildly celebrated the winner.

Scotland have won all six previous meetings with Cyprus. The last visit to Cyprus resulted in a 2-1 friendly win in 2011. Kenny Miller and Jamie Mackie with the goals.

Team news

Steven Naismith could be in line to earn his 50th cap for Scotland on Saturday. The 33-year-old picked up his 49th cap over a year ago when Scotland played Portugal at Hampden and the forward marked the occasion with a goal.

Head coach Steve Clarke has had to contend with a number of late fitness issues, losing Andy Robertson, Scott McTominay, Ryan Fraser and Liam Cooper from his squad.

Lewis Morgan and Graeme Shinnie were among the late call-ups, along with Ryan Porteous who stepped up from the Under-21s.

Pre-match thoughts

Looking ahead to what could potentially be his 50th appearance for Scotland, Steven Naismith said: “If I could give all of my caps up for a place at the Euro’s next year, I would do it in a heartbeat. That’s the bigger picture for everybody.

“We’ve still got an unbelievable opportunity here and in these next two games we need to make sure we’re ready. For all of the players though they can also be an audition for the manager to show we deserve a place in the squad come March.”

How to follow the match

The match will be shown live of Sky Sports Football and live commentary will be provided by BBC Radio Scotland. The game kicks off at 2pm.

You can also receive live updates via the official @ScotlandNT Twitter account.