Scotland boss Steve Clarke has confirmed that Kieran Tierney is “fit and available” for their Euro 2020 clash with England. Tierney was forced to miss Scotland’s Group D opener against the Czech Republic after picking up a knock in training. The Arsenal defender saw his country suffer a damaging 2-0 loss in his absence, but Clarke is ready to welcome him back into the fold for their vital meeting with the Three Lions at Wembley on Friday. Asked for an update on Tierney’s condition at a pre-match press conference, the Scotland head coach told reporters: “Everybody fit and available, including Kieran. “It’s good news for Kieran, it’s good news for us, it’s good news for the Scottish supporters, so hopefully we can back all that up with a good result. “He’s trained fully the last two days, so...
The European Championships continued apace yesterday and thankfully passed without a repeat of the previous day’s drama. Denmark star Christian Eriksen appears to be making good progress – news which will be music to the ears of every football fan. England got their campaign underway with a victory over Croatia on Sunday, and they will have a keen eye on proceedings in Scotland this afternoon. Our latest Euro 2020 Diary takes a look at some of the talking points around England’s win. Phillips bosses moaning Modric Luka Modric is undoubtedly a great footballer. However, are we alone in thinking that he’s also a bit too whiny? The Croatian midfielder threw his toys out of the pram at the 2018 World Cup with a memorable tantrum about the ‘Three Lions’ song. Luka Modric has clarified his comme...
National team crests are just different from their club counterparts. Both are an integral part of the team’s history, and both are definitely tattooed on many of the fans. However, in the past decade or so, most national team crests have already been updated and bought into the modern era of design. National team crests also seem to be simpler and have less elements than their club counterparts. That being said, I did find some ways to further simplify them. In some cases through minor changes without removing elements. It was also interesting to note how similar some of the crests can be to each other. For example Scotland, Netherlands & Wales all feature a roaring majestic lion or dragon. Or how Sweden and Finland, both nordic countries, feature their flags on a shield. I have tried...
Of all the Euro 2020 groups, Group D is perhaps the one with the fieriest rivalries. England begin their campaign with a clash against Croatia. The Three Lions will still be hurting from the World Cup semi-final defeat back in 2018, and will be hungry for revenge. They follow this up with a fixture against neighbours Scotland, who qualified for their first major tournament since 1998. England vs Scotland at Wembley? Yes please! The final team in the group is Czech Republic. Despite being underdogs, they boast the best finish in European Championship history in their group, finishing second in 1996. It’s shaping up to be a group worth watching. Croatia – Mislav Orsic Orsic destroyed one English team – can he do it again? The man who gives Tottenham Hotspur fans nightmares. Mislav Orsic has ...
Scotland picked up a 4-0 win over the Faroe Islands in the World Cup qualifiers last night, and Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn chipped in with two vital goals for his side. McGinn has been outstanding during this international break, scoring three goals in three matches as Scotland made an unbeaten start to their qualifying campaign. Following his recent performances, some Villa fans have urged Dean Smith to allow McGinn more attacking freedom. He has often been used in a deeper position alongside Douglas Luiz at the club level, but his natural game is a box-to-box midfielder. It will be interesting to see if his performances for Scotland can convince Smith to use him in a more attacking role for the remainder of this season. Villa could certainly use more goals from midfield, and McGi...
Newcastle United midfielder Ryan Fraser has had an impressive international break with Scotland and it will be interesting to see if the 27-year-old can establish himself as a regular starter for Steve Bruce’s side and help the Magpies finish the season strongly now. Fraser managed to score in Scotland’s 4-0 win over the Faroe Islands last night in the World Cup qualifiers and he scored a vital equaliser for this country against Israel in the previous match as well. Before his move to Newcastle, Fraser was a quality player for Bournemouth but he has been a shadow of his former self since joining the Magpies. Some of the Newcastle fans believe that Bruce has failed to get the best out of the attacker. His performances for Scotland certainly show that Fraser has a lot to offer and it remains...
AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be out of action for at least ten days after picking up a muscle injury in the 3-1 league win against Napoli at the weekend, the Serie A club said on Monday. The 39-year-old scored twice before suffering the injury as the Serie A leaders recorded their first league win in Naples for more than 10 years. A club spokesperson said it could take between two and three weeks for Ibrahimovic to recover. The Swedish striker, who has scored 10 goals in six league games this season, will likely miss Europa League matches against French side and Group H leaders Lille and Scotland’s Celtic on Thursday and on December 3, respectively. Ibrahimovic could also miss the final group game against Sparta Prague. Milan are second in Group H with two wins out of three mat...