A town with approximately the same population as Perth, Zalaegerszeg is a pleasant enough place to spend a couple of days.
Its main street boasts some grand looking buildings. There’s a museum and a theatre at its heart. The locals don’t seem to have a care in the world as they flit between the shops, cafes and restaurants surrounding its main square.
While a music festival on Saturday evening raised the decibel levels above the norm into the wee small hours, the most populated part of Zala County in western Hungary would rarely be confused with downtown Manhattan.
Even for the most intrepid explorer, it’s just not an easy place to find. Budapest, Hungary’s capital, is four hours away by train with multiple changes required. The best-served airport within a couple of hour’s drive is actually Graz in Austria.
It’s a curious place to be staging a football match, let alone a World Cup qualifier. So why are we even here to face Belarus?
While the Russian national team and club sides were immediately banned from all FIFA and UEFA competitions following the invasion of Ukraine three years ago, the ruling bodies didn’t quite pluck up the courage to treat Belarus in the same way despite their ongoing support for the Putin regime.
Zalaegerszeg’s ZTE Arena will play host to the behind-closed-doors qualifier against Belarus
Steve Clarke is expected to ring the changes after a creditable opening draw in Copenhagen
Belarus were thumped 5-1 by a rampant Greece side in their group opener in Piraeus
Instead, it was decided that all Belarusian sides could still compete, but only by staging their matches at neutral venues and behind closed doors.
The initial compromise saw Belarus play in Serbia then Budapest. Following talks between their FA and FIFA at the start of 2024, Zalaegersze’s ZTE Arena — capable of holding 11,200 fans when permitted to attend — was selected. Who said that logic had left the building?
There seems something inherently unfair in all of this. While a handful of the thousands of Scotland fans who partied in Denmark last week are believed to be on route to this little-known corner of the world, their support will be restricted to cheering the team off the bus when it alights at the stadium.
Although Hungary don’t play Portugal in Budapest until Tuesday night, the low-key affair in Zalaegerszeg isn’t being televised. It appears the locals don’t even know there’s a match taking place.
Notwithstanding the fact that it will enviably have the feel of a practice match, there’s much to suggest that Scotland should still prevail.
Belarus are 97th in the FIFA rankings, fully 50 places below Clarke’s men. Not only have they never qualified for a major tournament, they’ve never been in a play-off.
Their last failed qualifying bid, for Euro 2024, saw them finish behind Romania, Switzerland and Israel and ahead of Kosovo and Andorra. Their players mostly ply their trade in their own country, Russia, Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan.
They were thrashed 5-1 by Greece on Friday and their last competitive away victory came in Luxembourg a year ago.
Steven Naismith leads the Scots squad in training in Copenhagen before their flight to Hungary
Ryan Christie and Lyndon Dykes were both on target in a Covid-era win in Olomouc, one of many positive results in front of no supporters
They’ve been marginally better in their recently adopted Hungarian home. In the three games they’ve played in Zalaegerszeg since the ban was enforced, they’ve emerged with draws against Bulgaria, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg in the Nations League.
Following the goalless draw in Hungary last October, Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill claimed playing at the ZTE Arena had ‘the feel of a fixture played during Covid’ and because ‘there was no crowd it maybe lacked a little bit of intensity that there would normally have been’.
Yet, if Scotland are to be entertaining thoughts of lighting up rather more glamorous stages in North America next summer, it’s imperative that Steve Clarke’s players shut out the somewhat surreal circumstances which surround this game and deal with the matter at hand.
The manager may feel it’s wise to remind some of his senior players that they’ve coped pretty well in this environment before.
Throughout the Covid period, Scotland played 11 games behind closed doors, winning six, drawing three and losing two. They should not then be psychologically rattled by being thrown back into that soulless and sterile environment.
Friday night in Copenhagen should have restored their pluck after a dismal loss at home to Iceland in June.
Clarke’s men were disciplined and diligent throughout the goalless draw. At the home of the section’s highest-ranked team, they fashioned the better chances and deserved at least a point for their efforts.
The manager will need no one to tell him, though, that the same outcome in Zalaegerszeg just won’t do. Scotland must assume that the Danes and Greece will win here and boost their goal differences along the way.
Dykes could make way tonight as Clarke seeks a way to get Ben Gannon Doak involved
Gannon Doak only emerged for the final minutes of the Denmark draw but still caught the eye
The point taken on the opening night will only look good if augmented by three against the section whipping boys.
While Clarke got his selection spot-on against Denmark, he’ll need to tweak his side to offer more of an attacking threat here.
The same applies to his shape. While he went with a 4-4-2 on Friday, caution was the watchword.
On the back of their capitulation in Athens, Belarus look vulnerable. If Scotland can score early, it should prove to be a comfortable night.
The exclusion of Ben Doak from the side to face Denmark was surprising. The Bournemouth forward only got seven minutes from the bench and still managed to make his mark with his explosive bursts.
His involvement from the off on Monday may necessitate a change of shape to a 4-2-3-1, meaning either Lyndon Dykes or Che Adams would be benched.
Scott McTominay remains the first name on the team-sheet. John McGinn looked fresher than Ryan Christie in the second half so may start on the left.
Clarke can call upon Billy Gilmour if he fancies freshening up the holding midfield roles. Lewis Ferguson, who enjoyed his best display for Scotland on Friday, would be expected to retain his spot.
With Aaron Hickey, Grant Hanley, John Souttar and Andy Roberston all excellent in the Parken Stadium, Angus Gunn had one of the quietest nights of his Scotland career. Accordingly, the manager has no decisions to make in that department.
As their plane touched down on Hungarian soil last night, the reasons behind this magical mystery tour in Central Europe would have provoked much bewilderment and scratching of heads even among the most experienced figures.
Yet there’s no confusion about what’s expected here.
If Scotland’s America Dream is to become reality, the memories of this strange little sortie must be positive.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .