Two teams who are well on their way to upsetting the continental apple cart lock horns in Tuesday's Euro 2024 qualifying Group A showdown as Scotland host Georgia at Hampden Park.

The hosts made it three wins from three with a remarkable 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Norway on Saturday, while Willy Sagnol's side also left it late to get the better of Cyprus by the same scoreline.

Match preview

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A perceived sense of justice prevailed during Scotland's sojourn to Norway on Saturday, as Steve Clarke's men sought to continue their unexpected perfect start to life in Group A after seeing off Cyprus and Spain in March's opening battles.

With an hour played, Ryan Porteous was controversially penalised for a foul on Erling Braut Haaland - who did what he does best from the spot - but Scotland refused to go down waving the white flag, and strikes from Lyndon Dykes and Kenny McLean in the dying embers completed a terrific turnaround.

Captain Andrew Robertson sent quite the rallying cry to his troops after that Scandinavian success - insisting that Scotland "have to qualify" for Euro 2024 in the wake of their opening three wins - which have incredibly put them out of sight at the top of the rankings.

Of course, Spain's involvement in the Nations League finals means that La Roja will have the chance to respond further down the line, but for now, Scotland can revel in a wonderful start to proceedings as they vie for back-to-back appearances at the European Championships.

Hampden Park is not normally a happy hunting ground for visiting nations either, as Scotland have won each of their last five home games while conceding just one goal in the process, but their closest challengers can be sure to provide another stern test.

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By putting Norway to the sword, Scotland did something that Georgia could not do during their opening Group A contest, and Sagnol's men would seemingly be forced to wait a little while longer to make waves in the section during a closely-contested battle with Cyprus.

Georges Mikautadze's opener had Georgia in the lead for all of eight minutes before Ioannis Pittas's penalty restored parity for Cyprus, but with 84 minutes on the clock, Zuriko Davitashvili propelled the Crusaders back into the ascendancy, where they remained until the full-time whistle blew.

On the back of earning promotion to League B of the Nations League, a first-ever appearance at a Euros finals is next on the agenda for Georgia amid their meteoric rise, and Sagnol's side are currently on course to achieve that elusive goal - sitting second in Group A and one point better off than the Spaniards.

The mettle of Sagnol's men will truly be tested in their two meetings with the 2008 and 2012 European champions later this year, but the Crusaders venture to Glasgow having only suffered one loss in their last 15 games in all competitions, albeit while failing to keep a clean sheet in any of their last five matches.

It is honours even as far as the head-to-head column is concerned, as Scotland and Georgia both have two wins against one another from their four previous Euro qualifiers, but perhaps crucially, both of the hosts' successes have come on Glaswegian turf.

Team News

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Scotland limited Haaland and Martin Odegaard's Norway to just the one goal without a couple of notable defensive names, as Everton's Nathan Patterson and Rangers' John Souttar were both absent from the matchday squad alongside the uncapped Ross McCrorie.

Souttar had returned to training prior to their win over Norway, so Clarke's decision may very well have been a tactical one, and the hosting manager should keep faith with the majority of his starting lineup from Saturday's pulsating triumph.

McLean had only been on the field for 10 minutes before picking out the bottom corner to send the Tartan Army into raptures, but the Norwich City man's dramatic winner should not be enough to earn him a starting role.

As for Georgia, FIFA Fair Play Award winner Luka Lochoshvili reportedly sustained an injury with three minutes remaining of Saturday's win over Cyprus, although the severity of his issue is still unknown.

APOEL's Lasha Dvali - who faced some of his colleagues at the weekend - will be on standby if Lochoshvili is not passed fit, while two home-based players in Jemal Tabidze and Vladimer Mamuchashvili both failed to make the cut on Saturday, but neither man would have been pushing for a starting role anyway.

Five of the visitors' squad in Giorgi Mamardashvili, Zuriko Davitashvili, Luka Gagnidze, Irakli Azarovi and Giorgi Gocholeishvili have been called up to the Under-21s for the upcoming Euros - which Georgia are co-hosting alongside Romania - and it remains to be seen whether they will play any part in this one.

Scotland possible starting lineup:
Gunn; Tierney, Hendry, Porteous; Hickey, McGregor, McTominay, Robertson; McGinn, Christie; Dykes

Georgia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Kakabadze, Kashia, Lochoshvili; Gocholeishvili, Kiteishvili, Kvekveskiri, Azarovi; Davitashvili, Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia

We say: Scotland 1-0 Georgia

Home advantage always seems to play its part when Scotland and Georgia butt heads, and Tuesday's game should be no different in front of a jubilant Tartan Army.

Sagnol's side will no doubt give the Scots a good run for their money, but defensive solidity is not the visitors' forte, and Clarke's side can wear down the Crusaders' backline to steer further clear at the summit.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Ben Knapton

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