5 talking points as Scotland bid to extend unbeaten run against Austria

Scotland travel to Vienna to face Austria in their second friendly of a March double-header on Tuesday.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the key talking points as Steve Clarke’s team bid to maintain their impressive recent form.

Scotland’s unbeaten run

There was disappointment at the end of last Thursday’s friendly at home to Poland after Scotland were denied a seventh consecutive victory by a dubious stoppage-time penalty. However, they did extend their unbeaten run to seven games since losing to Denmark in Copenhagen. A draw or a victory in Vienna would represent a continuation of momentum.

Freshening it up

Steve Clarke plans to make changes to his team to ensure most of his squad see game time over these two friendlies. Aaron Hickey got on to make his debut in the draw with Poland, but Craig Halkett and Ross Stewart were unused substitutes. Given the manager’s tone at his pre-match media briefing on Monday, there appears to be a good chance the Hearts defender and the Sunderland attacker will make their debuts in Austria.

Austria turmoil

While there is a good vibe in the Scotland squad at present, the same cannot be said for Austria. They lost three of their last six World Cup qualifiers at the end of last year, including one against Scotland, and then saw their World Cup bid killed off by defeat in last Thursday’s play-off away to Wales. On Monday, their manager Franco Foda announced he would be standing down after the Scotland game following more than four years in charge. The Scots will be aiming to pile on the misery for the hosts, who are set to be without captain David Alaba.

Robbo’s return

Given his high profile, the intensity of fixtures he has coming up with Liverpool and the fact this match in Austria is relatively low key in the grand scheme of things, it would have been easy for Andy Robertson, having missed last Thursday’s match against Poland, to have simply extended his absence through illness and taken a few extra days off. Instead, the Scotland captain was eager to join up with the national team at the earliest opportunity and declare himself available for Vienna. The 28-year-old’s commitment to the cause is admirable and reflects the mood in the Scotland camp under Clarke’s leadership.

No withdrawals

A further sign of the harmony in the Scotland squad is that, despite so many players having big games on the horizon – not least those of Rangers and Celtic, who have a Glasgow derby this weekend – there have been no pull-outs in the wake of the Poland match. Ordinarily, a Scottish friendly double-header at this time of the season would bring a swathe of tactical withdrawals, but it seems everyone wants to be part of the action.