Match Preview: International Friendly – Scotland v Portugal

Scotland v Portugal
Sunday 14 October
5pm kick-off
Hampden Park, Glasgow

Scotland return to Hampden Park this weekend, with Alex McLeish’s side welcoming reigning European champions Portugal to the home of Scottish football.

With the UEFA Nations League now taking a back seat until the crucial double-header next month, Sunday evening’s fixture represents a chance for squad members to stake a claim for a place in the starting line-up when competitive action resumes.

The match also provides the home side with a valuable opportunity to restore a degree of confidence, following Thursday’s disappointing defeat to Israel in Haifa.

Despite the result, the match against Israel was an important marker for two of McLeish’s squad; Scott McKenna came off the bench for his competitive Scotland debut, with Allan McGregor winning his 40th cap for his country.

Portugal, meanwhile, arrive in Glasgow fresh from a 3-2 victory over Poland on Thursday, a result that saw them open up a five-point lead at the top of their UEFA Nations League group.

Previous Meetings

This will be the first meeting between the two sides since 2002, when Scotland travelled to Braga for an international friendly following that year’s FIFA World Cup.

On that occasion, a brace from Pauleta was enough to give the hosts the victory, who were also able to call upon the likes of Luis Figo and Nuno Gomes.

You have to travel back to 1980 for the last Scotland victory over the Portuguese, when Jock Stein led his team to a thumping 4-1 victory at Hampden Park.

First-half goals from Kenny Dalglish and Andy Gray were matched by strikes after the break courtesy of Steve Archibald and Archie Gemmill, as Scotland claimed all three points in a UEFA European Championship qualifier.

Team News

Scotland head coach Alex McLeish will be without Charlie Mulgrew, John Souttar, Kieran Tierney and Robert Snodgrass have withdrawn from the squad following the UEFA Nations League match in Israel. Ryan Christie, along with Aberdeen duo Michael Devlin and Gary Mackay-Steven have been added to the squad for the match.

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay failed a fitness test after missing the defeat in Israel due to a knock, so will also miss out.

Portugal boss Fernando Santos is able to select from a full squad for the trip to Hampden, including in-form striker Andre Silva, namesake Bernardo and Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves.

The squad is captained by the vastly-experienced Pepe, with the centre-back having earned his 100th cap in the UEFA Nations League meeting with Italy last month.

Pre-match thoughts

Scotland manager Alex McLeish: “We know we're trying to build to being a team that can win and get points consistently and we're still not quite at that level. We're trying to build towards it.”

Scotland captain Andy Robertson: “We'll be looking to bounce back from Thursday, I think that's crucial for us. Since the game [Israel] finished that's all we've been looking to do.

"Our focus is fully on Portugal and hopefully we can put in a performance."

Tickets

Tickets for the match are still available through public sale and can be purchased online or over the phone at 0844 875 1873.

Supporters will also be able to buy tickets on the day of the match, subject to availability, from the ticket sales cabins at the corner of the West and William Hill South Stands, which open at 10am.

Those looking to collect tickets on match-day can do so from 12 noon at the Ticket Collection booths in the West Stand. Supporters are advised to collect their tickets as early as possible in order to avoid queues.

Travel Information

Parking around Hampden is restricted to permit holders only, so supporters are encouraged to travel by public transport to and from the game.

Regular train services run to and from Glasgow Central to Mount Florida (seven minutes walk from Hampden), Kings Park (12 mins) and Crosshill stations (13 mins).

First Glasgow also operate the following bus services to and from the local area on a regular basis: 5, 6, 7, 7A, 31, 75, 90.

Where to watch

The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, with kick-off at 5pm.

There will also be regular updates on the official Scotland twitter account, @ScotlandNT.