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Attendance: 20,699
Scotland national football team
Euro Champ Qualifying | Group Stage
Oct 13, 2019 at 5pm UK
 
San Marino national football team

6-0

McGinn (12', 27', 45'), Shankland (65'), Findlay (67'), Armstrong (87')
FT(HT: 3-0)

Steve Clarke: 'Scotland must look forward'

Steve Clarke: 'Scotland must look forward'
© Reuters
Scotland find themselves four points adrift of third-place Cyprus in Group I.

Steve Clarke has called on Scotland to focus on what is ahead of them rather than looking backwards as they bid to end their European Championship qualifying campaign on a high.

Scotland find themselves four points adrift of third-place Cyprus in Group I after losing their last four matches, conceding 13 goals in the process.

But Clarke's side have time to reverse their fortunes and restore confidence in the camp before the crucial Nations League play-offs in March, with three group games remaining – starting with San Marino's visit to Hampden Park on Sunday.

With a third-place finish in the group and the chance to qualify for Euro 2020 via next year's play-offs still possible for Scotland, Clarke is keen to look forward instead of dwelling on their recent defeats.

Steve Clarke's Scotland still have the chance to reach Euro 2020 via March's Nations League play-offs
Steve Clarke's Scotland still have the chance to reach Euro 2020 via March's Nations League play-offs (Ian Rutherford/PA)

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, he said: "The only way to turn the corner is to win matches.

"We can keep looking back and beating ourselves up or we can say 'OK, everything that we want to achieve is still in front of us'.

"That's the way I have to look at it. If you look at the possibilities, we have to go and win our next three games to finish third in the group – that's still in front of us.

"If we win those three games we'll get the positivity back around the place that we're all striving to get.

"And if we do that we're going into the play-off games in March, hopefully with two matches to secure qualification for Euro 2020.

"So everything is still in front of us, no matter how bad it's been or how disappointed we are – we still have everything to play for."

Following Scotland's most recent defeat – Thursday's 4-0 loss in Russia – Clarke called on his troops to ensure that was the "lowest of the low".

He wants his players to learn from that result as they look to get back on track.

"What's gone is gone, we have to learn from it," added Clarke. "I think in adversity you always learn more about people sometimes than when things are positive.

"So we have to learn those lessons, stick together as a group and we have to turn the corner. And what better way to turn the corner than the game tomorrow night."

Jon McLaughlin will start for Scotland on Sunday
Jon McLaughlin will start for Scotland on Sunday (Tim Goode/PA)

Clarke said it was always his intention to make changes for the meeting with the group's bottom side, regardless of recent results, as he announced Sunderland goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin would come in for David Marshall on Sunday.

He added: "One that will be a definite change – and it was a pre-planned change – David Marshall will change and Jon McLaughlin will play.

"Because I need a second goalkeeper with more caps, more experience to play. That was always planned."

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Peter Grant pictured on March 12
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Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain870121
Q Scotland flag Scotland852117
3 Norway Norway832311
4 Georgia Georgia82248
5 Cyprus Cyprus80080

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q France France871022
Q Netherlands Netherlands860218
3 Greece Greece841313
4 Ireland Rep. Ireland82066
5 Gibraltar flag Gibraltar80080

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England862020
Q Italy Italy842214
3 Ukraine Ukraine842214
4 Macedonia N. Macedonia82248
5 Malta flag Malta80080

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Turkey Turkey852117
Q Croatia Croatia851216
3 Wales flag Wales833212
4 Armenia Armenia82248
5 Latvia Latvia81073

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Albania national flag Albania843115
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic843115
3 Poland Poland832311
4 Republic of Moldova Moldova824210
5 Faroe Islands Faroe Islands80262

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Belgium Belgium862020
Q Austria Austria861119
3 Sweden Sweden831410
4 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan82157
5 Estonia Estonia80171

Group G

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Hungary Hungary853018
Q Serbia Serbia842214
3 Montenegro Montenegro832311
4 Lithuania Lithuania81346
5 Bulgaria Bulgaria80444

Group H

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Denmark Denmark1071222
Q Slovenia Slovenia1071222
3 Finland Finland1060418
4 Kazakhstan Kazakhstan1060418
5 Northern Ireland flag N. Ireland103079
6 San Marino flag San Marino1000100

Group I

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Romania Romania1064022
Q Switzerland Switzerland1045117
3 Israel Israel1043315
4 Belarus Belarus1033412
5 Kosovo flag Kosovo1025311
6 Andorra flag Andorra100282

Group J

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal10100030
Q Slovakia Slovakia1071222
3 Luxembourg flag Luxembourg1052317
4 Iceland Iceland1031610
5 Bosnia Bosnia H'vina103079
6 Liechtenstein flag Liechtenstein1000100


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