Scotland Under-21s face a tricky qualification group on the road to the UEFA 2021 Under-21 Championships, with the draw having been made in Nyon, Switzerland this morning.
Scot Gemmill’s side has been drawn in Group Four alongside Croatia, the Balkan side one of 12 teams to have qualified for the 2019 finals that will be held next summer.
#SCO21s have been drawn in Group 4 for @UEFAUnder21 Qualifying alongside, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Lithuania and San Marino.
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) December 11, 2018
Qualifiers will take place between March 2019 – October 2020.#YoungTeam pic.twitter.com/N85sNUUVQl
The 2002 champions, the Czech Republic, also lie in wait for Scotland, with Greece, Lithuania and San Marino completing the pool for Gemmill’s men.
Having been edged out in their attempts to qualify for the 2019 tournament despite home and away victories over the Netherlands, Scotland will be looking to qualify for a first UEFA Under-21 Championship since 1996.
On that occasion, a squad containing future senior internationals such as Jackie McNamara and Christian Dailly reached the semi-finals before being defeated by host nation Spain.
Under-21 Qualification Information
- The nine group winners will qualify automatically for the finals.
- Runners-up with the best records against the teams first, third, fourth and fifth in their group will go into a play-off to determine the last finals berth.
- Tournament co-hosts Hungary and Slovenia have both been given a bye to the finals.
Scotland Under-21 Fixtures
Thursday, 5 September 2019: Scotland v San Marino
Tuesday, 10 September 2019: Croatia v Scotland
Thursday, 10 October 2019: Scotland v Lithuania
Monday, 14 October 2019: Czech Republic v Scotland
Friday, 15 November 2019: Scotland v Greece
Friday, 27 March 2020: Scotland v Croatia
Tuesday, 31 March 2020: Greece v Scotland
Tuesday, 8 September 2020: Lithuania v Scotland
Friday, 9 October 2020: Scotland v Czech Republic
Tuesday, 13 October 2020: San Marino v Scotland