Pressure on Strachan to deliver

Scotland need a home win

Scotland face a must win on Sunday when hosting Slovenia at Hampden in front of the watching Sky Sports cameras. So far it has been another shambolic qualifying campaign for the Scots and they go into game five with only Malta beneath them in Group F.

Gordon Strachan’s side have been booted from pillar to post by the media, fans and some ex-players in the run-up. The famous Tartan Army loyalty appears to be wearing thin too as football fans north of the border watch the rest of the home nations progress, while they seem to go backwards. Some reports even suggest the former Celtic manager is past it.

The hosts rattled off another poor display when drawing at Easter Road with Canada on Wednesday. Despite having a 100 per cent lose rate against their opponents, Scottish Championship player Fraser Aird broke the deadlock when putting Canada ahead with just 11-minutes on the clock. It took a Steven Naismith equaliser before the break to spare their blushes. Fans weren’t happy, and assistant manager Mark McGhee told the media they have every right to boo if the team plays rubbish.

Slovenia not as fierce as stats suggest

On Sunday they face a Slovenia side who are second in the table behind England, and unbeaten so far. A run of two wins and two draws will have the locals restless, but a closer look at that form suggests there may not be as much to fear as it appears at first glance. Slovenia have drawn with Lithuania and England, beating Slovakia and, most recently, Malta. The England and Slovakia results are worth something, but edging the minnows of Malta 1-0 is far from convincing.

Those loyal to Scotland can back them to catapult themselves back into the qualification picture with a win at 11/8 right here. The race is sizing up as a bid to finish second behind England, and the home win would certainly give Scotland half a chance. The pressure is on Strachan to deliver – let’s see if he’s still got it.