15 facts about Scotland's European Chapionship qualifier opponents Liechtenstein

Published on Monday 6 September 2010 19:29

1) The population of the tiny nation of Liechtenstein is just 35,000 - the same size as Falkirk. Ironically, the only time a Scottish team has been drawn against a club from Liechtenstein in European competition was when Falkirk lost 2-1 on aggregate to FC Vaduz in a Europa League qualifying round last year.

2) The principality is a landlocked German-speaking micro-state, nestling between Austria and Switzerland. It covers less than 62 square miles, and is the fourth-smallest country in Europe - after Vatican City, Monaco and San Marino. The capital is Vaduz but the largest city is Schaan.

3) Liechtenstein has a significantly low crime rate, with the last murder taking place, according to an officer who was serving in 2007, "about ten years ago" and prisons hold few, if any, inmates. Any sentences of over two years are served in Austria.

4) The country is a tax haven and the basic rate of personal income tax is 1.2 per cent. The number of registered companies is double the country's population, and the gross domestic product per person is said to be the highest in the world.

5) The Prince of Liechtenstein is said to be the world's sixth wealthiest leader with an estimated wealth of $5 billion.

6) Liechtenstein's first official international match was against Switzerland in 1983. They currently languish at 141 in the Fifa rankings - 100 places below Scotland and 89 places below Lithuania, who held Craig Levein's team to a 0-0 draw last weekend.

7) Scotland have faced only two teams lower than Liechtenstein in the current world rankings. They are Malta in 151st place, and San Marino who are joint last at 202 alongside Anguilla, Montserrat, American Samoa, Central African Republic, and Papua New Guinea.

8) Liechtenstein are the only country ever to have lost an international match to San Marino (0-1 in 2004).

9) Scotland and Liechtenstein have only ever met here once before at under-17 level, in a Uefa European Championship fixture. Scotland won 8-0 at Almondvale, with Hearts striker Gordon Smith scoring twice.

10) Liechtenstein's biggest-ever win was 4-0 away to Luxembourg in a World Cup qualifying match in October, 2004. The highest-ranked country they have beaten was Latvia (85), beaten 1-0 in Vaduz in March, 2007. Latvia's manager immediately resigned.

11) Liechtenstein's football clubs play in Switzerland but gain entry to the Europa League through their national cup competition. The most successful team, Vaduz, play in the second division of Swiss football.

12) The main sport in Liechtenstein is downhill skiing and it is the smallest country ever to have won an Olympic medal, all of them coming on the ski slopes. The principality is also the only nation to win a medal in the Winter Olympics but not in the summer Games.

13) Liechtenstein has no army and no airport (the nearest is in Zurich). The army was abolished soon after the Austro-Prussian War in which Liechtenstein fielded an army of 80 men.

14) Only 160 Liechtenstein supporters are expected to be at Hampden tonight.

15) Bookmakers William hill make the visitors a staggering 16-1 to win tonight, with Scotland an unbackable 1-14 favourites. If you think the visitors might just get lucky, how about making your bet a double - a 1-0 win for Liechtenstein courtesy of a goal from their top scorer Mario Frick offers odds of 430-1. No Scotland player has scored a hat-trick since Colin Stein against Cyprus 40 years ago, but Hills are offering odds of only 8-1 that it will be done again tonight.