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Page last updated at 11:30 GMT, Friday, 19 February 2010

Scots begin Euro 2012 qualifying campaign in Lithuania

Craig Levein and Vicente Del Bosque
Levein and Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque discussed the fixtures in Spain

Scotland will begin their Euro 2012 qualification campaign away to Lithuania and finish with a game away to Group I favourites Spain.

Craig Levein's side will travel to Lithuania for the opener on Friday 3 September after fixtures were agreed at a meeting in Madrid on Friday.

The Scots end their campaign in Spain on Tuesday 11 October 2011.

Coach Levein said: "Although it's not quite the ideal scenario, I'm pretty happy with the way it's turned out."

The Scots play Liechtenstein for the first time at home on Tuesday 7 September and take on Czech Republic away on Friday 8 October.

The Scottish Football Association was heavily criticised over its negotiations for the last World Cup qualifying campaign.

I want to give a lot of credit to George Peat and Gordon Smith for the groundwork in the build-up between the draw and today

Scotland coach Craig Levein

Manager George Burley has to take his side to searing Macedonia in September 2008 and visit Norway in August last year less than a week into the Scottish Premier League season.

Both games were lost, results that went some to denying Scotland a place in the play-offs.

This time, the Scots will play all their matches in September and October of this year and next - with an 11-month gap between fixtures - with double-headers on each occasion.

"We've avoided playing in June, which has always been difficult for us," Levein told BBC Scotland after the meeting he attended with SFA chief executive Gordon Smith and representatives from Scotland's Group I rivals.

Asked about the possibility of gaining maximum points from the first two games - away to Lithuania and at home to Liechtenstein - Levein admitted that it was not quite the fixtures he would have wanted.

"We know from experience that Lithuania away is not an easy match," he said.

"I'd perhaps have preferred that one to be at home, but it gives us a chance.

"We went in with certain objectives that we wanted to achieve and with the exception of one compromise, I consider it a good result."

The fixtures are a break from the tradition of Saturday and Wednesday double-headers, with Scotland playing two away matches on Fridays and three of their home matches on Tuesdays.

"We were adamant that we did not want a game in June and wanted a week's preparation for the four games against the Czechs and Lithuania," said Levein, who praised Smith and SFA president George Peat.

"We also wanted Spain in October, which we got.

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"I want to give a lot of credit to George Peat and Gordon Smith for the groundwork in the build-up between the draw and today.

"The outcome shows that the behind-the-scenes work this morning and the preparatory work done when we arrived on Thursday was important in trying to cement a fixture schedule that suited us.

"It was a lot more productive than turning up and starting from scratch.

"The draw itself is only positive if we manage to turn what we think is a promising fixture schedule into points."

Walter Smith led Scotland to victory on their last visit to Lithuania in September 2006, goals from Christian Dailly and Kenny Miller securing a 2-1 win in Kaunas as part of the Euro 2008 campaign.

Levein faces his first test of the field of play on 3 March in a friendly against the Czechs that was organised before the Euro 2012 qualifying draw was held.

He is scheduled to name his squad for the Hampden Park match on Monday.


Scotland fixtures

2010

Friday 3 September - Lithuania (away)

Tuesday 7 September - Liechtenstein (home)

Friday 8 October - Czech Republic (away)

Tuesday 12 October - Spain (home)

2011

Saturday 3 September - Czech Republic (home)

Tuesday 6 September - Lithuania (home)

Saturday 8 October - Liechtenstein (away)

Tuesday 11 October - Spain (away)



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see also
Fixtures first test for Levein
18 Feb 10 |  Football
Scotland face Spain in Euro group
07 Feb 10 |  Football


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