Advantage Scotland but Greek starlet set for first start – key talking points

Scotland have a 1-0 lead to protect in the second leg of their Nations League play-off against Greece on Sunday.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the talking points ahead of the Hampden showdown.

Scotland back on form

Scotland endured a dispiriting run of just one victory in 16 matches between September 2023 and November 2024, which included their three winless matches at Euro 2024, but they appear to have rediscovered their mojo. Thursday’s victory in Piraeus was their third in succession – and their fourth in a row unbeaten – after they finished 2024 with back-to-back wins at home to Croatia and away to Poland.

Greece prospering on the road

Despite their defeat on Thursday, in which they showed their quality in the second half, Greece arrive in Glasgow in good fettle. As they bid to eke out the victory they require to overturn the first-leg deficit and win this play-off, they are entitled to take heart from their recent away form in particular. Ivan Jovanovic’s side won all three of their away matches in the Nations League in the second half of 2024: 2-0 against the Republic of Ireland, 2-1 against England at Wembley and 2-0 in Finland.

Greek starlet in line for Hampden outing

There is much excitement in Greece around 17-year-old winger Konstantinos Karetsas, who could make his first international start at Hampden. The Belgium-born teenager, who has been linked with Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid, recently opted to pledge his allegiance to the nation of his parents’ birth. After becoming a regular for Genk since breaking into the team last May, Karetsas shone on his Greece debut when he stepped off the bench for the start of the second half against Scotland on Thursday, prompting a clamour for him to start in Glasgow.

Settled Scottish defence standing firm

Scotland appear to have benefitted from having a settled back-line in recent matches. In each of their last five games, Craig Gordon has started in goal behind a back four of Anthony Ralston, John Souttar, Grant Hanley and Andy Robertson. Since going down 2-1 to Croatia in the first of those matches, the Scots have been unbeaten in their last four, conceding only one goal, a stunning strike from distance in Poland. In short, Scotland have shored up at the back.

First Greek visit in 30 years

Greece have only ever played at Hampden once before. That was almost 30 years ago, in August 1995, when Ally McCoist – one month shy of his 33rd birthday – came off the bench to score the only goal in a 1-0 win and set Craig Brown’s team on course to qualify for Euro 96.