Liverpool star Andy Robertson believes Scotland are ‘on the way up’ ahead of the upcoming international fixtures.
Scotland will take on Russia at Hampden on Friday night before facing Belgium on Monday. The Russia clash is a must win, as defeat could leave Steve Clarke’s side six points off second before their uphill task against the Belgians.
Robertson is no stranger to big games, featuring in many for Liverpool over the past year, including one particular Champions League final match.
Ahead of the two crucial matches, Robertson says the mood is high in the camp and that players are in decent form going into the Russia match.
He told the Scotland YouTube site: “I feel as if we are on the way up and that’s the most important thing. This manager (Clarke) has came in and we had a really good week in the summer.
“The summer ones are the toughest when some lads have got eyes on holidays, it happens, in every single country. We all showed up and applied ourselves massively and put in two good performances.
“We know we’ve got two big games coming up and we need to be at our best. The squad have came in good spirits, a lot in good form, so we now need to take that into a Scotland jersey.”
Premier League experience could help Scotland, especially Robertson’s
Scotland could field as many as eight Premier League players against the Russians. Having that type of quality in the team could be vital for Clarke.
Against Russia, Manchester United’s Scott McTominay will have the task of dealing with established European players like Aleksandr Golovin. His experience of training everyday with the likes of Paul Pogba equip him well for battles like this.
Robertson is Scotland’s poster boy right now. Riding high off the back of European success at Liverpool, the Reds left-back and Scots captain is an inspirational figure.
He has shown time and time again he is able to step up to the plate when it matters most. Robertson was arguably man of the match in the Champions League final last year and netted a 25 yard screamer against Cyprus for his country just a week later.
The Liverpool left-back is the man for the big occasion and there’s another one on the horizon. His performance will be key to any success Scotland have against Russia on Friday.