Group B:Andy Watson, Scotland's assistant manager, has dismissed any notion that Italy may be hindered in the build-up to Saturday's crucial qualifier at Hampden Park by the violence which clouded domestic fixtures there last weekend.
Watson, pointing to the Serie A match-fixing scandal which preceded Italy's World Cup triumph last year, stressed his belief that Roberto Donadoni's squad will not lose sight of the task in hand, despite last Sunday's death of a Lazio supporter, who was shot by police, and the subsequent rioting at matches.
"My view is that Italy will not be affected at all," said Watson. "I think they will be professional and disciplined and go about things as a football team. The politics are something we wouldn't enter into and I don't think the Italians will either.
"If you look at the negative aspects associated with them going into the last World Cup, there was a big furore which they turned to their advantage and it didn't impinge on them. So I don't think the troubles will impact on them at all."
A light-hearted atmosphere was apparent at Scotland's base on the shores of Loch Lomond yesterday, which was not surprising given there was not a single reported injury among Alex McLeish's 25-man squad. Victory would secure a place in next summer's European Championship and take Scotland to a major tournament for the first time in a decade, a prospect which has bred excitement rather than nervousness among the players.
"I think we've come to a place where the players believe in and trust in each other," Watson said.
"We are a team unit, not an individual thing; we are like a club team, with that togetherness. The way the media have built the match up is great, the nation has bought into it. The players are experienced enough and have been involved in enough big games themselves to be able to focus properly."
McLeish has admitted he remains in a quandary over what formation to deploy. The most likely scenario is he will opt for 4-1-4-1, which will again mean no starting place for Rangers striker Kris Boyd, despite his impressive ratio of seven goals from 12 international.
"There'll be times we have to be patient," McLeish said. "The Italians are very good at keeping the ball. If we go hell for leather and play just from our hearts then the Italians are very capable of opening us up very easily. We have to be careful of their threats and try to negate them as much as possible, and obviously play to our own strengths."
Watson spelled out some of those strengths. "The team as a whole has been creating chances and scoring goals and that's what we'll have to do against Italy, irrespective of who plays in what positions," he said, before highlighting the positive mood. "In every game we have risen to the occasion, so there is no reason to feel that we can't do it again."
Such sentiments have been echoed by Scott Brown, the Celtic midfielder who, as a 12-year-old, watched Scotland in the 1998 World Cup in France.
"Everyone gets inspired by occasions like this," said Brown. "You've got probably four to five million people in Scotland watching you try to beat the Italians and a few people elsewhere hoping you beat the Italians, because they're the world champions and people enjoy smaller teams going against the bigger teams.
"There is a lot of pressure on Italy as well. They need a result, we have a 100 per cent home record and they have to come here and break that."
- Guardian Service
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