Charlie Christie – Special Hampden roar can help Scotland see off Ukraine
I took time out this week to reserve a hotel for myself and a few friends in Glasgow on Thursday March 24, 2022 and I sincerely hope that we’ll have reason to be enjoying a drink at the hotel bar late into the evening.
I am of course referring to the date when Scotland host Ukraine at Hampden Park in our play-off match for the Qatar World Cup.
The winners will face an away game in Wales or Austria in the play-off final five days later and a ‘winner takes all’ game in Cardiff would whet appetites from Aberdeen to Aberystwyth!
When the draw was made, the Ukrainians were certainly not high on my list of preferred opponents but, in my opinion, a home draw was the most important aspect. The Tartan Army have produced an incredible atmosphere at our last two matches, but I’m confident that the match next March will produce something even more special.
Ukraine will be a very tough challenge – the fact that they were unbeaten in a group including France, Finland and Bosnia speaks volumes for their defensive capabilities.
They have a talented squad which includes familiar names in Andriy Yarmolenko of West Ham and Oleksander Zinchenko of Manchester City.
Their new coach Oleksander Petrakov took over from national hero Andriy Shevchenko after the Euros, and he looks to prefer a 4–3–3 system although, like most Eastern European teams, they will be flexible as and when required.
Scotland national coach Steve Clarke will be aware of their threat, but he will also know that we can win the game after the progress that we have made.
The recent Denmark display was right up there with anything we have produced in the modern era, and it was a pleasure to watch the team perform to such a high standard on the night.
It was even more pleasing for my family and me as, coupled with his excellent performance, son Ryan achieved his 25th Scottish cap.
This milestone saw Ryan surpass some great players from yesteryear including Lou Macari, Jimmy Johnstone, Davie Cooper and one of my late father’s favourite players Dave Mackay.
Hopefully he’s not finished yet and can play a significant part in the play-offs next year.
Interestingly, Inverness Caledonian Thistle have a link with the Ukraine given that our first ever manager was born there.
Sergei Baltacha grew up in Mariupol, then part of the Soviet Union, and won 45 caps for a high achieving squad and played over 300 matches for Dinamo Kiev before moving to the UK.
Sergei was a pleasure to talk football with and it would be interesting to hear his thoughts on our chances in this vital match.
