UEFA EURO 2020 Play-Off Final 
Serbia v Scotland
Thursday, 12 November 2020, kick-off 7.45pm (UK time)
Stadion Rajko Mitic, Belgrade
Live and free-to-air on Sky Pick

Scotland travel to Serbia for what is arguably their biggest match in more than a decade as they look to secure qualification for next summer’s UEFA EURO 2020 tournament finals.

Following last month’s penalty shootout victory in the Semi-final Play-off against Israel at an empty Hampden Park the team are now one win away from making history as the first Scotland men’s team to qualify for a finals in 22 years.

Scotland go into the fixture high on confidence: undefeated in eight matches stretching back more than a calendar year and top of their Nations League group following three consecutive victories over the Czech Republic, who they have beaten home and away, and Slovakia.

As they stand on the cusp of history, Steve Clarke’s side will be without the usual support of the travelling Scotland supporters, but will know they have the backing of a nation to end a wait that has gone on for too long.

Previous meetings

The sides have only officially met on two previous occasions, both in qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The first meeting ended in a goalless draw at Hampden Park, with current number one David Marshall the only member of the squad to have been involved that night as an unused substitute.

The overriding memory for many of the Scotland supporters of the return leg will be the images of the travelling Scottish fans clearing snow off the pitch in Belgrade to help ensure that the match would go ahead.

Unfortunately for Scotland the match ended in a 2-0 defeat, with David Marshall again the only member of the current squad to have played a part, having started in goals that evening.

Prior to the breakup of Yugoslavia, Scotland had played the Republic – of which Serbia was an member republic – on eight occasions between 1955 and 1989. Scotland held a narrow lead in those meetings, with two victories to Yugoslavia’s one and five stalemates. The pick of those meetings for Scotland would undoubtedly be a 6-1 win in a friendly match at Hampden Park in 1984 which saw six different goal scorers under legendary manager Jock Stein.

Team news

Steve Clarke has a near fully fit squad for the trip to Serbia, with the returning Craig Gordon and Leigh Griffiths among the 27-man squad named last week.

Since then, the manager has lost both Ryan Fraser and Grant Hanley to injury.

The former, who hit an impressive run of form in a Scotland shirt, will be a loss at the top end of the pitch, while Hanley was set to return to the fold for the first time in over two years.

Scott McKenna and Liam Palmer both recovered from their respective injuries to be included in the final squad of 2020 as Scotland aim to make history against Serbia.

Pre-match thoughts

Steven Reid is in no doubt that Scotland have a squad capable of getting the required result on Thursday.

The assistant coach believes the crop of players can maintain their impressive run of form, but is under no illusions of how big a task Serbia will be in the Play-Off final.

Speaking to the media ahead of one of the biggest matches in recent history for the national team, Reid said: “We’re going in to this now with a group of players that have played more and more football. In the last camp we still had to deal with some players in pre-season and others perhaps still getting up to match tempo, but by now the lads have played a lot of games and the squad is looking strong.

“We have a squad that is more than capable of getting a result that’s for sure. Obviously the motivation and prize up for grabs at the end of it on Thursday will hopefully take us to another level of performance.

“It’s important the lads step out on to the pitch, grasp it with both hands and leave the pitch with no regrets.”

When asked about the challenges of COVID-19 and the impact it has had on Serbia’s squad, the assistant coach insisted it will not distract the coaches, staff and players from their preparations.

He said: “It’s not going to affect us too much. They have a style of play, a formation and a way of playing that will mean we’ll prepare for their strongest team no matter what happens between now and the game.”

How to follow the match

The match will be shown for free live on Sky Pick, kicking off at 7:45pm.

You can also receive live updates via the official @ScotlandNT Twitter account.