 Scotland have been drawn alongside Albania and Israel in the newly inaugurated UEFA Nations League. Top seeds Scotland were placed alongside the two nations in Group C1, the only three team group in League C, at the draw in Lausanne, Switzerland this morning. Scotland have a 100% record against Israel, having played three times in the 1980s. The two sides last met in 1986, when a solitary Paul McStay goal was enough to secure the win for Scotland. Albania, on the other hand, will see Scotland take a trip into unknown territory, the two sides having never met before. Albania are managed by Italian legendary defender Christian Panucci, who scored the injury-time goal at Hampden that ended Scotland’s hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008. The games will be played across September, October and November 2018. Exact fixture dates and kick-off times are due to be announced later this afternoon. Having been drawn in Group C1, which features only three teams, Scotland will now look to arrange Challenge games for the two international dates this autumn that are now free. Scotland and Liverpool left back Andy Robertson said: "It was exciting to watch the Nations League draw play out. “It’s been a while since Scotland have played Israel and we’ve got a good record to defend. There are a few well-known names in their squad and the Celtic lads, I’m sure, will be giving Nir Bitton a bit of stick about it when the time comes. I think I’m right in saying that we’ve never played Albania before, so that will be something different for the squad and supporters alike. They did well to get to the last Euros and are clearly a nation on the up. It’s something to look forward to. Pulling on the Scotland shirt always means the world to me and we’re determined to get to a major tournament. The Nations League is something that could take us there and we’ll put everything into it." |
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