SCOTLAND could have qualified for Euro 2017 even before boarding the flight to Reykjavik for their final Group One game against Iceland on Tuesday, September 20, writes Alan Campbell.
That was confirmed yesterday by coach Anna Signeul, as she announced her squad for the match. There is a first call-up for 18-year-old Hibernian striker Abi Harrison, who scored a second-half hat-trick against Celtic on Sunday.
The Scots, who have never qualified for a Euros or World Cup, need one point in the Icelandic capital to be all but guaranteed a place in the Netherlands. However, results in other groups next week could see them through before then.
The first such game is on Thursday, September 15, when Belgium need to win or draw in Serbia ahead of their final group match against England. The next evening, Finland, Russia and Italy all must win their games to have any chance of pipping Scotland as one of the best six group runners-up.
By far the most vulnerable are Russia, who despite home advantage are playing Olympic champions Germany. Against that, the Germans have already qualified and three of their best players, as well as legendary manager Silvia Neid, retired after last month’s triumph.
“It will be the first game for the new German manager Steffi Jones, and it will be a new team, but I would expect that to be a motivation,” Signeul said. “Steffi is a great leader and she won’t want to lose her first game.”
Although the probability is that results elsewhere will spare Scotland yet another play-off, Signeul said her own motivation is to wipe out the memory of Iceland’s emphatic 4-0 win in the corresponding game at Falkirk Stadium in June.
“Of course it would be nice if we’ve already qualified when we go to Iceland,” she pointed out. “But we want to rectify ourselves after that dreadful loss in the home game.”
She added: “I have brought Abi in because she was on fire against Celtic on Sunday. She has physicality, which is what we are missing a bit in the squad.
“She is very direct and she’s fearless. I felt when she played like that, even in a domestic game, why not give her the chance to come in?”
Glasgow City forward Fiona Brown returns to the squad for the first time since suffering her second ACL injury against France 16 months ago.
However, Seattle Reign’s Rachel Corsie misses out with knee trouble.
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