UEFA Under-21 Championship Qualifying
Kazakhstan v Scotland
Tuesday, 15 October 2024
Almaty Ortalyk Stadion, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Scotland Under-21s are in Almaty gearing up for their final Group B match as their quest to qualify for the European Championships in Slovakia next summer reaches its conclusion.

Scot Gemmill's side know they must win in Kazakhstan and hope that Belgium slip up at home to Hungary if they are to have a chance of reaching the play-offs for next year's finals. 

Drawn into a challenging group, Scotland have enjoyed a positive campaign, with wins over Belgium, Hungary, Malta and Kazakhstan, although a home defeat by Belgium on Friday dented their qualification chances.

The match will be available to watch live on the Scotland National Team Youtube Channel.

Team News

Scotland will be without Connor Barron for the match in Almaty after the central midfielder was called up to Steve Clarke's 'A' squad for their match against Portugal.

Scotland will also be without Lewis Fiorini, Leon King, David Watson and Bobby Wales for the contest after their withdrawals. Scotland also remain without Kieron Bowie, Liam Morrison, Ibane Bowat and Cieran Slicker.

Gemmill gave out two debuts on Friday, with Lewis Budinauckas and Ryan One both winning their first Under-21 caps and both are in contention to feature again. 

Pre-match Thoughts 

Scotland Under-21 Head Coach Scot Gemmill: "We have to believe that Hungary can get a result in Belgium, but we have to take care of our own performance and get our win then we’ll look elsewhere.

"We need to go to Kazakhstan and win. There’s no point feeling sorry for ourselves (after Friday), we need to keep going. We want to be the first Scottish team to win in Kazakhstan."

Scotland's Lyall Cameron: “I think we’ve shown a lot of good performances in the group so far, played some tough teams and had some good results.

“We know it’s not going to be easy in Kazakhstan because of all the travel and all the stuff you need to take into consideration but we’re definitely a strong enough side to beat them.

“Hungary won’t be an easy side either for Belgium. Hopefully they’ll do us a favour and beat Belgium and we can qualify. 

“When we played Kazakhstan at home we dominated the game. It was quite a comfortable 4-1 victory here. But it’ll be a completely different game so it’ll be a completely different set-up.

“We just need to handle it, do our part and hope it’s enough if Belgium slip up."

How to Watch the Match

The match will be available to view live on the Scotland National Team Youtube Channel, with commentary from Luke Shanley and Stephen McGinn.

Scotland Under-21s Squad

Adedire Mebude KVC Westerlo
Calvin Ramsay* Liverpool (on loan to Wigan Athletic)
Dane Murray Celtic (on loan to Queens Park)
Daniel Kelly Millwall
Ewan Wilson Motherwell
Jack Milne* Aberdeen
Jack Newman Dundee United (on loan to Inverness CT)
Jeremiah Mullen Leeds United
Josh Doig U.S. Sassuolo Calcio
Josh Mulligan* Dundee
Lennon Miller Motherwell
Lewis Budinaukas Rangers
Lewis Neilson* Heart of Midlothian (on loan to St Johnstone)
Lyall Cameron* Dundee
Max Johnston* Sturm Graz
Miller Thomson* Dundee United
Murray Johnson Hibernian (on load to Airdie)
Robert Apter Blackpool
Robbie Fraser Rangers
Ryan One* Sheffield United

*Denotes Scottish FA JD Performance School graduate.