Scots line up friendlies in Cyprus and Slovenia

SCOTLAND are set to face Cyprus next month and Slovenia in February in away friendlies as Craig Levein attempts to ensure his squad is in optimum shape for the World Cup 2014 qualifiers which begin next September.

The Scots look set to play in Nicosia on Friday, 11 November and they will then travel to Slovenia on 29 February. Levein’s side were pipped to a Euro 2012 play-off place last week by the Czech Republic after a 3-1 defeat away in Spain. However, the manager admitted that, in hindsight, the latest bid for qualification was undermined by the fact he didn’t have enough knowledge of his squad early in the campaign after taking on only two friendlies – against Czech Republic and Sweden – between his appointment in December 2009 and his first competitive game in Lithuania some nine months later.

In an effort to ensure the togetherness of the squad and the upturn in results through 2011 is maintained, the Scotland manager is keen to play friendlies wherever possible. First up will be the struggling Cypriots, who picked up just two points from their Euro 2012 group, although one of them was in a 4-4 draw in Portugal. It will be Scotland’s first visit to Cyprus since the famous 1989 World Cup qualifier in Limassol where Richard Gough’s header deep into injury time sealed a 3-2 victory that helped Andy Roxburgh’s side qualify for Italia 90 the following year.

Scotland will travel to either Ljubljana or Maribor for the clash with Slovenia next year. The Scots’ last trip to the former Yugoslav republic saw them record a 3-0 win in a World Cup qualifier under Walter Smith in October 2005. The February encounter will give Levein and his men some idea of what awaits them in the World Cup qualifiiers as three of Slovenia’s Balkan neighbours – Serbia, Croatia and Macedonia – will be in the Scots’ section.