Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Missing Brazil but looking forward to Euro 2016

After failing to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil, the focus for Scotland is to build a team that could make the finals of Euro 2016 in France.

With results continuing to improve, manager Gordon Strachan will be using a relatively young squad as he aims to make it through qualification for the major tournament.

Leigh Griffiths is a player who can really shine for the team ahead of 2016. The Celtic striker moved to the Scottish Premier League from Wolves earlier this year and since then has done well in the top flight in Scotland.

If he can transfer his club form where he scored seven goals in 14 games - and stay clear of off field distractions - he could find himself as a regular starter and finish the qualifying campaign as their top goalscorer which can be backed with Betfair.

Ross McCormack has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs this summer. The Leeds forward is now a regular for Scotland and will feature throughout the qualifying campaign. He is usually popular in the first goalscorer market at Betfair.

McCormack made his debut for his country in 2008 but struggled to hold his place in the squad. As soon as Strachan was appointed as Scotland manager, he recalled 27-year old back and has been a regular ever since.

Scotland Euro 2016, the Scottish Football Blog
Strachan will also be hoping the experience of Steven Naismith will be beneficial as Scotland look to qualify for France. The former Rangers player has been at Everton since 2012 and was part of the Toffees side which just fell short of the Champions League last season.

Naismith currently has three international goals to his name. His first came against Spain in 2010, while more recently he has also found the back of the net against Lithuania and Croatia to reward backers with Betfair.

In midfield, Scott Brown still has an important role to play. He is one of the most experienced players in the squad and will captain the side once again in Euro 2016 qualification.
Brown helped Celtic win their third straight SPL title last season. They are favourites with Betfair to make it four leagues on the spin in their next campaign.

The centre of defence has become something of a problem position for Strachan and Grant Hanley is likely to be given a chance to shine, despite the fact he is still relatively inexperienced at international level. The 22-year old has 13 caps to his name and did play English Premier League football for Blackburn between 2009 and 2012.

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