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EXCLUSIVE: Commons aims to come back with a bang

Thursday, 11 October 2012

Kris Commons is determined to use Celtic’s Champions League crusade to inspire Scotland to a World Cup qualifying victory in Cardiff.

The attacker has been recalled after a series of impressive performances for his club, not least in the Champions League outings against Benfica and Spartak Moscow.

The 29-year-old is brimming with confidence and is itching to be involved in Friday’s Group A match against Wales at the Cardiff City Stadium.

“It’s great to be back again,” said the player, who last featured in the 2-0 defeat to Brazil at The Emirates Stadium in March last year. “I have been keeping an eye on the squad during the time I have been out and the important thing was to keep playing as well as I could and I knew the opportunity would come. I am now just looking to grab it with both hands.”

“I am playing with a lot of confidence and that has been reflected in the results we have had at the club, especially in the Champions League. Our whole pre-season was set-up to qualify for the Champions League group stages and I think our results and performances so far have given the whole of Scottish football a boost.

“We all want to reach the World Cup finals. It is a huge thing playing against the best players in Europe at club level in the Champions League. A lot of the players in the Scotland squad play in England against some of the best players in the world but as a country we all want to compete against the best nations at the World Cup finals, especially this one as it is being played on one of the real homes of football, Brazil.”

Kris joined up earlier this week after Robert Snodgrass and Jordan Rhodes were forced to withdraw from the original squad due to injury. Having overcome a series of formidable challenges already this season in the Champions League, he believes Scotland are more than capable of emerging from the double-header against Wales and Belgium with their qualification prospects enhanced.

“The next two games are really important but it was always going to be a group where countries take points off each other,” he said.

“I hope to be given the opportunity to contribute to two huge games. We need to win against Wales first and then we can see about Belgium after that. After two draws it is important to get a win and the way the group is set up, that could put us right into contention.”