Temur Ketsbaia has warned his former boss Steve Clarke he’s ready to put the boot into Scotland’s Euro 2024 qualification hopes at Hampden tomorrow.
The Cyprus manager played under Clarke for Newcastle when the Scotland head coach was assistant to Ruud Gullit before having a spell as caretaker boss in the late 1990s. Ketsbaia is remembered for one of football’s angriest celebrations when he tore his strip off and repeatedly booted an advertising hoarding after scoring a last minute winner against Bolton in 1998 - later revealing it was out of frustration at being benched by Kenny Dalglish.
But he insists he had a good relationship with Clarke when he arrived at St James’ Park a few months later. That will count for nothing when the two sides run out at Hampden this afternoon to kick off the road to Germany though. Ketsbaia said: “That was a long time ago! Steve and John Carver were both my coaches at Newcastle. We met each other again at the draw in Germany.
“We had a good relationship at Newcastle. Good memories. Steve has done a fantastic job for Scotland in the last few years and qualifying for the last Euros. They have a very good team with good players and most of them playing in the Premier League.
“But we also have a good team and are coming here hoping for a good result. It’s going to be a very physical game, a lot of challenges, a lot of crosses and good combinations. We are ready.
“We try to take one step forward from the last time when we were in the same group. The two games were close, we lost both 2-1. But a lot of things have changed in both teams since then.
“We have players playing in Cyprus and abroad - and playing regularly - so this will help us to be in good shape and hopefully to get the result.”
Cyprus, ranked 110 in the world, are the group outsiders. But Ketsbaia said: “We know we are not favourites in our group in any game we play. But that give us more motivation to prove people are wrong.
“This is something we have to have in our mind. I don’t think Scotland will underestimate us. They’re not in that position to think like that. We want to show we can play good football too and get a result.
“My players are ready. We had a good four days together, trained well, we showed we are in good condition. Some players haven’t seen 50,000 in a stadium before but I believe that’s good for the players to see a full stadium. You don’t want to play in empty stadiums. I hope this will also be a motivation.
“It’s going to be difficult and with many challenges. But in football now you can never say one team is 100 per cent sure to get the result. We want to show we can get very difficult away results.”
Ketsbaia spent a season at Dundee under Ivano Bonetti in 2001-02 before finishing his playing career in Cyprus with Anorthosis Famagusta. And he said: “I had a great time at Dundee. I met great people and I enjoyed my football there.
“Unfortunately they’re not in the Premier League right now but I hope they’re going to come back. The supporters deserve to be in the top division. I always look for the scores of my previous teams and am always happy when I see them doing well.”
Meanwhile St Mirren midfielder Alex Gogic is desperate to make happy Hampden memories after suffering heartache twice at the national stadium with Hibs in 2020-21. A 3-0 League Cup semi final loss to St Johnstone was followed by a 1-0 Scottish Cup final defeat to the Perth club.
And Gogic said: Those are not happy memories. Hopefully we can get a good result against Scotland and I can leave happy this time. We are prepared and the coach has us ready to fight for a result.”
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