Three lessons Scotland can learn from France 0-0 Luxembourg

Scotand will be hoping to build on their 3-0 victory against Lithuania when they face Malta. Picture: AFP/Getty Images

France, ranked tenth in the world, went into their Group A match against 136th-ranked Luxembourg on the back of a 4-0 win over the Netherlands at the Stade de France on Thursday night, thanks to a double from Thomas Lemar and a goal each from Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe.

Victory against their lowly neighbours was virtually assured, wasn’t it? Especially given Didier Deschamps went with Mbappe, Griezmann, Lemar and Olivier Giroud as his forwards on Sunday night.

On top of that, Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette and highly-rated Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman were thrown on midway through the second half.

Jonathan Joubert foils another France attack in Toulouse. Picture: AFP/Getty Images

But it didn’t matter in the end as Paul Pogba, Griezmann, Mbappe et al were thwarted by the woodwork, desperate defending, profligacy in front of goal and an inspired performance from the 37-year-old goalkeeper Jonathan Joubert.

1. No one is immune from shock results

It is, as one man once said, a funny old game.

Luxembourg's players celebrate with the travelling fans after holding France to a draw in Toulouse. Picture: AP

According to Sky Sports, the total value of Luxembourg’s team amounted to £27,720 while the France side, boasting players such as the £89m Pogba and Lemar, who Arsenal tried to buy for £92m, totalled an eyewatering £400.84m.

And the team comprising less than £30,000 held the former World and European champions to a goalless draw in their own backyard.

Scotland are no strangers to an underwhelming result. A last-minute goal rescued a point against Lithuania at Hampden in October last year.

Even the infamous 2-2 draw with the Faroe Islands, 17 years ago on Friday, lingers at the back of the minds of many Tartan Army footsoldiers.

John Peterson puts the Faroe Islands 2-0 up against Scotland in Toftir in September 2002. Picture: SNS Group

There might not be the same gulf between Scotland and Malta as there is between France and Luxembourg, and while a draw - or even, whisper it, a victory for Malta - likely wouldn’t attract the same level of euphoria from the visitors, nor elicit the same stunned reaction from the rest of the world, the chance of any sort of upset happening at Hampden tonight is far greater than the odds would have been of an upset in Toulouse on Sunday night.

2. Don’t let distraction get the better of you

Gordon Strachan spoke of the need for experience in games like tonight’s match. With Scotland ideally needing England to defeat Slovakia at Wembley (and probably hoping for a draw in Ljubljana where Slovenia are taking on Lithuania), Strachan will be hoping his team can keep their attention on defeating Malta, and not let their minds drift onto other matches.

It’s possible Deschamps’ side saw Sweden’s emphatic 4-0 win over Belarus, the result propelling Janne Andersson’s side ever closer to the French at the summit of Group A, and allowed themselves to take their eye off the ball a bit.

Scott Brown reckons the reason Scotland have turned things around is because the side is playing ‘the Celtic way’ - i.e. possession football and making the opposition work hard.

Six Celtic players are likely to be in the starting line-up tonight - in the 5-1 victory in Malta last year, the only Celtic player to feature at all was James Forrest, who came on as a second-half sub.

But those six Celtic players, who enjoyed an undefeated domestic season with their club last year culminating in the treble, all played in the shock defeat at the hands of Lincoln Red Imps in the Champions League qualifiers.

They’ve experienced a ‘shock’ result, along with the fall-out and it’s likely that a season under Brendan Rodgers’ tutelage will have taught these players to stamp out results like that.

While this campaign is in its infancy, Rodgers has already led a strikerless Celtic to victory against Rosenborg, as well as conquering Astana in the Champions League play-off round with two makeshift centre backs in the side.

It’s not entirely outwith the realms of possibility that some of that tenacity will have rubbed off on the six players set to start for Scotland tonight.

3. Home advantage means nothing

Coming off the back of a largely comprehensive victory in Vilnius and the draw against England that was so nearly a famous win, Scotland should be playing with a renewed confidence.

Unfortunately, Hampden is unlikely to be rocking. Early estimates are that around 25,000 could turn up, meaning the stadium will only be around half-full.

The inclement weather, and it being a school night, could diminish the turn-out further - unless enthusiasm from the 3-0 win over Lithuania can lure some fans to the game who would otherwise have given it a miss.

On top of that, five of Malta’s last seven victories have been away from home - including a friendly victory over the Ukraine, and a 2-0 victory over Luxembourg.

Then again, the last time Scotland failed to score at Hampden in a competitive fixture was in September 2013. If Strachan’s side start off like they did against Lithuania, they shouldn’t have any problems.

The one thing that could put a spanner in the works is if Malta are capable of replicating their performance in the first half of the match against England.

If the Maltese can frustrate Scotland for the first 45 minutes, or longer, the rumblings of discontent from the terraces could affect the Scots and galvanise Malta.

An early goal would go a long way to settling a nervy crowd and - hopefully - spurring Scotland on to a comfortable victory.