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Wales and Scotland do battle this evening in the Carling Nations Cup as they continue their preparations for upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers.
Wales lost in their opening match against Republic of Ireland, so they will be aiming to get their first win in this year’s competition and build some momentum under their new manager.
As for Scotland, they will be looking to maintain a 100% winning start following victory over Northern Ireland in their only game so far.
In reality though, the Carling Nations Cup is a very friendly tournament and these games are more of a warm-up for competitive fixtures later in the year.
Wales take on Montenegro in their next Euro 2012 qualifer in September, while Scotland face the tough challenge of Czech Republic. Everything done now can help the teams prepare for these fixtures, so the Carling Nations Cup games do have some significance.
As with the Northern Ireland v Republic of Ireland game last night, it can be the chance for young players to make a name for themselves, especially if first choice players aren’t going to be available.
Focusing on Wales to begin with, it is worth noting that Robert Earnshaw will captain the team in the absence of their first-choice captain Aaron Ramsey. He has since described the decision to hand him the armband as a massive honour.
The Nottingham Forest striker will be looking to lead his team to their first victory under new boss Gary Speed. If they can do this tonight, it will mean they can look ahead to a decent few fixtures in the summer months ahead of the important qualifiers.
As for Scotland, they will be looking to continue the progress they have been making under Craig Levein. They will also be looking for revenge against a Wales side that defeated them 3-0 back in 2009, a night that will go down as one of the worst in their history.
This defeat was under George Burley though and Levein has refused to accept that revenge is a motivation for his players tonight. He simply wants them to perform.
Looking at the team news, Wales boss Speed will not play any of his Premier League players after their games at the weekend. There is then several injuries, with Joe Ledley, James Collins and Ched Evans amongst those missing out.
There is then the play-off fixtures to consider, with Swansea’s Ashley Williams and Joe Allen as well as Reading’s Simon Church and Hal Robson-Kanu missing out to focus on the Championship play-off final.
As for Scotland, they are without regular captain Darren Fletcher and Petebrough striker Craig Mackail-Smith due to club commitments, while Kris Commons and Craig Gordon are all unavailable through injury.
This means that several new players could be given the chance to impress as Wales and Scotland fight for Carling Nations Cup points at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
