We’ve picked out three Scottish players Ireland need to be wary of on 14 November.
Scotland have named a pretty impressive looking squad for the forthcoming Euro 2016 clash with Ireland on Friday 14 November.
Everyone’s favourite grumpy Scot Gordon Strachan has included plenty of players with Premier League experience as well as your typical international journeymen (we’re looking at you Graham Dorrans).
However the ex-Celtic boss has selected three cracking players who could cause Martin O’Neill’s side plenty of problems at Parkhead.
Steven Fletcher
Despite beating Crystal Palace on Monday, Sunderland are going through a bit of a rotten spell, what with being thumped 8-0 by Southampton recently.
However striker Steven Fletcher has tried to rise above the continuous Wes Brown own goals and get the Black Cats out of the current mire they find themselves in.
He’s not a giant by any means but he is very physically strong and a deft finisher.
John O’Shea and Marc Wilson will need to be tight to the forward as he is good in the air but also is more than decent on the floor as shown by his two goals at Palace.
They were only his third and fourth Premier League goals of the season but it’s still better than Mario Balotelli (or any member of the Irish squad) so we have been warned.
Steven Naismith
If Ireland let him, Everton forward Naismith will dictate Scottish surges into enemy territory like a scene out of Braveheart.
He’s notched four goals already this season (again more than any Irish player, way more in fact) in a positive start to the campaign which means he knows how to hurt sides but a recent story has warmed the heart of SportsJOE.
The ex-Rangers man bought tickets for Everton games to distribute to unemployed football fans across Liverpool.
Naismith, who is from Glasgow originally, says he hopes the gesture will bring a small amount of joy to the city’s less fortunate. Ah bless.
And, according to this video, he is also apparently the best man to try and stop the spread of Ebola. The man’s kind heart knows no bounds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0HkVtSz_-4
Ikechi Anya
Pace, pure and simple. This man is a running machine.
SportsJOE would like to see him take on Arjen Robben in a footrace but in the meantime we’ll have to console ourselves with the prospect of Stephen Ward taking on the Glasgow-born winger.
The Watford man is a rising star of Scottish football and he caused controversy when he choose the Scots over England and Nigeria whom he was also eligible for.
He’s nominally a right winger but has bags of pace and will fancy his chances of causing us serious bother down the flanks if he gets enough ball.
He hasn’t lit up Watford’s season just yet, but he did score in the Scots 2-1 loss to Germany in the Euro 2016 game last month.
Like we said he’s lighting fast and a good finisher too so Martin and Roy better get working on closing down the space on the wings.
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