MIAMI GARDENS — Having gotten all the pesky questions about possibly reaching the knockout stages and facing Brazil’s returning star, Neymar, out of the way, Scotland captain Andy Robertson was hit with a question about his team’s legendary fan support.
“These are the questions I like,” Robertson said.
So … does Robertson believe Scottish fans are going to drink Miami dry, just like they did in chugging every last drop of Sam Adams beer that Boston had to offer in the first stop of their World Cup tour?
“If we beat Brazil,” Robertson said, “I’m sure maybe a couple of beers will be drank by the Tartan Army.”
The drama will begin play out at 6 p.m. Wednesday (June 24) at Hard Rock Stadium in one of the final opening-round matches of Group C. Both teams would advance to the round of 32 with a win. A closer look at what advancement would mean to each team reveals the gulf between their World Cup pedigree.
Buy World Cup tickets on StubHub
Brazil has competed in all 23 previous World Cups and won it a record five times.
Scotland has five World Cup victories. Not five World Cups, but five tournament matches won out of 25 played. Scotland has never advanced out of the group stage.
“If we can manage that, it would be very special,” coach Steve Clarke said.
For Brazil, winning alone is never enough. It’s about winning with style.
For Scotland, they crave results much as their fans crave beer. And making friends.
“I’ve already said this about our fans,” Robertson said. “Our fans are the best in the world. Everywhere they go, people fall in love with them.”
While those fans make their presence known at Hard Rock, Scotland’s players know they’ll have their hands full with Brazil’s relentless attack, which be missing Raphinha, who has a hamstring injury. Such is the nature of Brazil’s deep talent pool that the club instead is expected to have Neymar, 34, make his debut in this tournament after recovering from a calf problem.
“Thank you, God,” Neymar posted on social media. “I’m so happy!!!”
So is Vinicius Jr. to have another threat to take heat off him.
“I was a fullback myself,” Clarke said. “He’s the type of winger you don’t want to play against.”
Robertson knows his fellow defenders will have their hands full regardless of which Brazilian is on the ball.
“I could name every player on Brazil’s squad, they have so much quality,” he said.
Brazil will dominate possession and attempts on net. Still, Scotland knows it can’t spend the entire night chasing the ball and the Brazilians.
“When we have the ball, we also have to try and cause Brazil problems as well,” Robertson said. “We can’t just spend 90 minutes defending.”
So Scotland’s chances will be at a premium. Can those chances be converted into goals? Robertson was a Liverpool teammate of Brazilian goalkeeper Allison.
“I trained with him for eight years and could probably count on one hand how many goals I’ve scored on him,” Robertson said.
Robertson called Allison the best keeper in the world and a good friend. But friendships have their limits at the World Cup.
“I hope he’s picking the ball out of the net maybe a couple of times tomorrow night,” Robertson said.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: World Cup: Scotland, chasing history, faces Brazil’s potent attack
Reporting by Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
