Match Preview: Scotland v Chile

Watch live on BBC Alba

Friday's match against Chile will mark two months to the day that Scotland will fly out to France for their FIFA World Cup debut.

Prior to that they have three more preparation matches, against fellow World Cup qualifiers Chile, Brazil and then Jamaica at Hampden Park.

Shelley Kerr’s side will look to build upon Algarve Cup victories against Iceland and Denmark which saw Scotland finish fifth overall, having gone into the competition ranked 9th out of the 12 teams involved.

Team News

The squad shows two changes from that which impressed at the Algarve Cup earlier this month, with Arsenal winger Lisa Evans returning to the fold following an injury layoff.

Sophie Howard is also included in the 23-strong playing group, the Reading defender having last appeared for her country in the 2-1 victory over Albania that secured qualification for this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Rachel Corsie will once again captain the SWNT, whilst Kim Little continues as vice-captain.

Should she appear in both matches, Joelle Murray could become the latest SWNT player to reach the 50-cap milestone – the Hibernian defender has made 48 appearances to date since her debut against Belgium in 2007.

What to expect from Chile

Sitting in 39th place in the FIFA World Rankings, the Chile women's national team qualified for the first time for the Women's World Cup by defeating Argentina 4-0 in its final match of the Copa America. 

Since then, they have lost to Jamaica twice in their World Cup preparations.

At the World Cup, they will face Sweden, USA and Thailand.

Chile are coached by former goalkeeper Jose Letelier and he has been at the helm of the national team since 2015.

Roja players to watch out for include their goalkeeper and captain Christiane Endler, defenders Carla Guerrero and Camila Saez, and midfielders Karen Araya and Francisca Lara.

Scotland’s last match against them was in 2013 in a 4-3 loss where Jane Ross, Christie Murray and Sarah Crilly all scored.

Pre-match thoughts

Leanne Crichton: “It’s nice to be coming into the camp on a high after scoring the winner against Hibs on Friday night, for Glasgow City. There was a lot of pressure on the game so to come away with all three points was pleasing and has boosted morale coming into this week, for myself.

“Everyone is in good spirits in the camp but there is also a nervousness as all the players are desperate to stay in the squad as the World Cup draws closer.

“I’ve had to bide my time for quite a while in terms of getting minutes n the pitch but that work has paid off in that I played the last couple of games.

“The squad is so competitive at the moment so when you do get the chance, you know you have to take it.

“We were really disappointed with the results against Norway and Iceland in January but to record wins against Iceland and Denmark gave everyone a huge boost along with playing well against Canada.

“If we can get two positive results over here in Spain I think it’ll send a message to the other teams that we’re going to the World Cup to compete.

“We’re a a side that are getting good results against some top teams. We’re not just ‘poor old Scotland’ any more, we’re a team that are qualifying for tournaments and will stamp our authority on games we’re tested in.

“It’s exciting that we’re now in a position where we’re going into every game genuinely believing that we can win, knowing anything else would be a disappointment.”

How to follow the match

Scotland supporters be able to watch the match live on the BBC ALBA, and keep up to date on @ScotlandNT on Twitter.