Can Scotland get off to a winning start in Lithuania?

LITHUANIA v SCOTLAND - European Championship Qualifier
Venue: Darius Girenas Stadium, Kaunas Date: Friday, 3 September Kick-off: 1915 BST Coverage: BBC ONE Scotland, BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Sport website

By Colin Moffat

Former internationals Murdo MacLeod and John Robertson agree that a win against Lithuania on Friday is vital if Scotland are to have a chance of qualifying for Euro 2012.

"This is a massive game, the biggest game of the section," MacLeod said of the campaign opener in Kaunas.

"It's huge," added Robertson on BBC Radio Scotland. "If we get six points from the first two games it's absolutely perfect and we can kick on from there.

"It then sets us up for the real toughies against Spain and Czech Republic."

Craig Levein's side are at home to lowly Lichtenstein next Tuesday and one-time Hearts striker Robertson, who won the last of his 16 caps in 1995, thinks taking maximum points against the sides ranked below Scotland is essential.

"We need to turn this eight match group into a four match group and make sure we beat Lithuania home and away and Lichtenstein home and away," he said.

Darren Fletcher is a magnificent player but I still don't think he's reached the heights playing with a Scotland jersey on Murdo MacLeod

"If we go into the four matches with Spain and the Czechs, who's to say we can't win the group by nicking something in Prague and winning our home games?

"The next best scenario is making the play-offs, and to do that we must come away with all three points on Friday.

"We need to be in a strong position to give ourselves the best chance of qualifying.

"We tend to perform better when we're the underdog and we've shown we can do it in one-off matches. In the last Euro campaign we beat France twice and beat Ukraine, who were ranked above us."

This will be Levein's first competitive match in charge, having overseen two friendlies - a win against the Czechs at Hampden and a miserable 3-0 loss in Sweden last month.

And former Celtic midfielder MacLeod believes a win is also important to ease the pressures of international management.

"He can handle players, he can organise teams and he's a determined character," said MacLeod, who made 20 appearances for Scotland.

Miller will play as the lone front man in Kaunas

"If he gets off to a flying start, the whole campaign falls into place for him and everything in the garden is rosy, if he struggles, the press will be on his back.

"A win means 12 points in the bag for us because this is the hardest game against the two smaller sides."

The BBC Radio Scotland pundits were talking before the team was announced and both men had James McFadden in their preferred line-ups.

However, the Birmingham forward has been omitted, with Barry Robson and Steven Naismith taking up the wide midfield roles in what looks like a 4-1-4-1 formation.

McFadden has been nursing a slight groin injury but he may be a victim of the system Levein has opted for.

"The 10 minutes when McFadden played in behind Kris Boyd against Sweden was the best 10 minutes in the match for Scotland," opined Robertson, who was hoping for a 4-4-1-1 approach.

"In the first half there were a number of occasions when he didn't go back and help Lee Wallace. He didn't track back and, let's be honest, you don't want James McFadden back there."

With Kenny Miller ploughing a lone furrow up front, MacLeod was worried about the support available for the Rangers centre forward.

If you sit with 4-1-4-1 it's a hard shift for your two central midfield players because they don't know when to really get forward John Robertson

"I don't think Scott Brown and Darren Fletcher get forward enough to support Kenny Miller," he said. "That's why I'd like to see McFadden playing in behind the striker.

"People can say it's best to take the sting out of the game in the first half hour and then make changes later on but what happens if Kenny Miller runs himself into the ground in that period?"

Robertson also had reservations about the lack of forward options afforded by Levein's chosen strategy.

"If you sit with 4-1-4-1 it's a hard shift for your two central midfield players because they don't know when to really get forward and leave the rest of the team exposed," he said.

MacLeod is hoping to see the best of skipper Fletcher, who will be winning his 49th cap in Kaunas.

"Darren Fletcher is a magnificent player but I still don't think he's reached the heights playing with a Scotland jersey on," added MacLeod.

"He's the key man in the middle of the park for Manchester United. With Scotland he's had good games but not the consistency he shows at club level. He's a great leader, a great talker as well. If he plays, then the rest of the team can click around him."

Levein will be hoping a team full of experience and energy can do enough to get the campaign off to the best possible start and he can turn to the bench for the creative talents of McFadden and Graham Dorrans or Kris Boyd's poacher's instinct.

Messrs MacLeod and Robertson may have their doubts about the formation but they will certainly be cheering the team on at the Darius Girenas Stadium like the rest of us.

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