By Nicholas Irwin
UEFA Under-21 European Championships Qualifier
Scotland v Kazakhstan
Friday 12th November 2021, kick-off 7.05pm
Tannadice Park, Dundee
Scotland Under 21’s face Kazakhstan at Tannadice Park on Friday to kick-start their next set of qualification games for the U21s European Championships in 2023.
Both sides are yet to register a win, however Scotland have had a better start to life in Group I, earning a point in a 1-1 draw against Turkey in their first game and a narrow 1-0 defeat against top seeds Denmark in their last outing. Scotland currently lie in fourth place in the group, after two games and their opponents are fifth with no points in four games.
Friday’s match is the first of a double header with Scotland’s next match against Belgium who take on Turkey before travelling to Dundee.
Team News
Scott Gemmill has named four changes from the last round of games, with all of the new players joining the Under 21’s yet to have had their first appearance for the side. Aaron Pressley, Stuart McKinstry, Elliot Anderson, and Archie Mair join up with the squad and all of them are under contract from teams within the English Premier League. Each one of them are gaining vital experience in the Premier League 2 and on loan in the EFL League 1 to help aid their development.
Scotland are again without the defensive pair of Calvin Ramsay and Aaron Hickey due to an injury and fatigue.
Pre-Match Thoughts
Scot Gemmill said: “We have two exciting matches coming up, starting with Kazakhstan tomorrow night. Both matches will be a great test for our players. Tomorrow our players will have to be clever in order to beat a team we’re expected to beat but will be difficult to overcome. Historically we’ve struggled to beat teams like them so that’s a great challenge for us.
“Kazakhstan have lost their first four games but they have created problems for the opposition and are really dangerous on the counter attack. The teams from pot five can often be difficult to defeat. We found that last year, beating Lithuania away but losing at home. The challenge for our players is to break their defence down and create chances when the opposition are doing everything they can to stop us.
“We’re still learning about the players and the ones that are here have a real big opportunity. For them it’s not just the games, we work with them in training for the 10 days we’re together so that’s another big insight into their level, application and mentality so we need to maximise the whole experience not just the games.
“We’re looking forward to playing in Dundee. This is a great chance for supporters to come and see the best young players in the country at this stage of their careers. A few of the players will be familiar to supporters as they play in Scotland but there are also a lot of players who they’ve probably not seen a lot of. By creating an atmosphere tomorrow night, it will really help them as players and give them an experience of playing in front of a crowd in Scotland for their national team.
Ticket Information
Tickets can be purchased up until 19:05 online on Friday night.
Tickets will also be able to be bought at the Ticket Office but supporters are encouraged to buy online to avoid lengthy queues.
Prices
£8 for adult tickets
£3 for under-16s and concessions (65+)
Accessible tickets
£4 for adults
£1.50 for under-16s and concessions, while carers can go free.
SSC members will be able to gain free entry.
Buy tickets now
More ticket information
Where to Watch
The game will be streamed live on BBC Sport Scotland Website and iPlayer.
Scotland Under-21s squad list
Brian Kinnear (West Ham United) PS
Archie Mair (Lincoln City) PS *
Cieran Slicker (Manchester City)
Harrison Ashby (West Ham United)
Tom Clayton (Liverpool)
Josh Doig (Hibernian)
Lewis Mayo (Partick Thistle) PS **
Adam Montgomery (Celtic) PS
Stephen Welsh (Celtic)
Elliot Anderson (Newcastle United)
Scott Banks (Crystal Palace) PS
Jack Burroughs (Ross County) ***
Lewis Fiorini (Lincoln City) ****
Scott High (Huddersfield Town)
Stephen Kelly (Rangers) PS
Marc Leonard (Brighton & Hove Albion) PS
Ben Williamson (Livingston) **
Kai Kennedy (Dunfermline Athletic) PS **
Stuart McKinstry (Leeds United) PS
Dapo Mebude (AFC Wimbledon) PS *****
Glenn Middleton (St Johnstone) **
Aaron Pressley (AFC Wimbledon) ******
PS – Denotes Scottish FA JD Performance School Participant
* On loan from Norwich City
** On loan from Rangers
*** On loan from Coventry City
**** On loan from Manchester City
***** On loan from Watford
****** On loan from Brentford