‘They’re a team unit with a lot of fight’: Scotland anticipate tough encounter with Pauw’s Ireland

Pedro Martinez Losa comes into this moment with a foundation of knowledge. Mainly about Katie McCabe. The Scotland manager, via Arsenal, was gushing in his praise of a Dutch coach he is charged with outwitting this evening at Hampden Park.

“I know Vera,” said the 46-year-old Spaniard. “Not personally, but I have known her for a long time. I am looking forward to going up against her.”

The managerial battle matters in this World Cup qualifier but perhaps not as much as the alpha females from Real Madrid and North Carolina Courage crossing swords in midfield. If Caroline Weir is the name on everyone’s lips, rather than Denise O’Sullivan, than well Scotland will have cooked Ireland for the second time in this stadium in a fortnight.

“I’ve never met her, but obviously know about her,” said Weir of Pauw. “The girls who have played for her speak highly about her. I know she had a massive impact on the Scottish women’s game. Obviously a lot of respect for her for that. She’s a good coach and her teams are always organised. I’d expect Ireland to be that definitely.

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“I think they’ll be a little bit more physical, potentially more direct. They are on a really good moment in their run of games so they’ll be confident. They didn’t play on Thursday [when Scotland beat Austria 1-0] so they’ll be fresh and they’ll have watched our game. They’ve developed over the last couple of years and have got players at top clubs. It’s definitely not going to be easy.

“They’re more of a team unit with a lot of fight. Katie McCabe is probably their best player. I’ve played against her many times for Arsenal. She’s their captain and a leader.”

Beating Austria last Thursday in a sticky affair that required extra time and Abigail Harrison’s winning header surges Scotland into this World Cup playoff. And they bring the experience of reaching major tournaments, where Ireland have none.

“It takes hard work,” continued the Madrid midfielder. “Nobody has a right of passage to be there. We’ll deserve it we get there, especially this qualifying campaign.

“It’s tough. If we win tomorrow night we deserve to be there. We’ve got players playing at the highest level. On paper we’ve got a good strong squad and it’s just whether we can perform on the day, It’s going to be a tight game, I’m pretty sure of that, but we’re confident and excited for it. But of course we want to be at a World Cup. We’ve got some top players who should be playing at that level. That’s what we’re aiming for.”

Martinez Losa concurs.

“After the match we had a moment of euphoria after achieving something big, so it was fair enough to take the credit for that and let the players enjoy that. The next morning was about focusing on tonight and recovery. Most of them had two days’ recovery and then we have reset again and prepared the details for a game that we know will be challenging.

“This is a very important step on our journey. The weekend has been about giving the team the tools individually and collectively what they need to now to go into this game.

“The players feel safe. They feel that they can express themselves. They feel challenged and they feel that this is a healthy environment. We are working well together and we are giving the clear information that they need. That is what gives you confidence to go and do it again.

“We believe that we are a World Cup team so we have to behave like we are a World Cup team before we get there. Those behaviours are what we can affect just now and then we want to go there and face those challenges in the best mental and physical way possible.

“Honestly, all the group is prepared for this challenge but we know it is not easy. Hopefully we don’t miss this opportunity. We feel this is an incredible chance. We are prepared, we have a competitive squad and we are coming here in a good moment. We feel that we are definitely capable of doing it.”

Long night ahead.