Liverpool star Andy Robertson says he and the Scotland squad will carry the dreams of a nation with them to Serbia this evening.
The Scotland captain will lead the country out in Belgrade on Thursday night as Steve Clarke’s side look to secure major tournament qualification. Liverpool’s left-back is used to the big occasion, but even for him, this is massive.
Scotland could potentially play on home soil at Hampden next summer should they make the finals. It’s something the Anfield man isn’t letting himself dream about yet.
“To be honest I won’t let myself think about that until it’s done,” he said. “For me, being captain of my country, captaining these boys with me right now, it’s the proudest thing I will ever do in football.
“But I’m not letting myself think about walking out at Hampden next summer. That’s firmly in the back of my mind and I’ll focus on that hopefully on Friday morning when it’s a reality.
“I was four the last time Scotland got to the World Cup. My whole generation has missed out on seeing Scotland reach a major tournament. I look back at old videos and have talked to my family about how good it was to see the Tartan Army at tournaments.
“I remember my manager at Liverpool talking about how fun they were in Germany when he was a little boy during the World Cup. We know how big a fanbase we have and how passionate they are. We want to see them at a major tournament and we’re the next group of lads who can go achieve that.
“We need to carry that with us as it definitely gives you that added incentive tomorrow night to make five million people back home happy.”
Whilst this one is huge for Scotland, Serbia have only been to a couple of major finals since 1998 too, most recently at the 2018 World Cup. Robertson reckons this match means just as much to Serbia as Scotland.
“When there’s a chance to go to a finals, you know they are going to be as desperate as us,” he said at his press conference. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve been to 10 finals or none.
“The first Champions League final I played in you could see it meant just as much to Real Madrid as it did to us and they had won it the two years previously.
“Both teams are representing their country and want to make their nation proud, so carrying that on your shoulders in itself makes it an even fight. We want it.”