Injured Scotland star Kieran Tierney is backing Scotland to sink Ukraine in the World Cup play-off semi-final tomorrow night - and deliver the ideal birthday present for him in Cardiff on Sunday.
The Muirhouse man will miss the huge Hampden date as he is still recovering from knee surgery, but he will be cheering his team-mates on from the sidelines in teh hope they can take a huge step towards qualification for the winter tournament in Qatar later this year.
Victory over Ukraine would set up a winner-takes-all clash in Cardiff on what will be Tierney's 25th birthday.
He knows it will be a tough ask against a country who will be determined to make their war-torn country proud in their first competitive match since the Russian invasion in February that saw the initial March fixture postponed.
Speaking to The Scottish Sun, Tierney said: "It’s hard being forced to watch games, I’m not going to lie.
“But whether it’s Arsenal or Scotland, I still only want what’s 100 per cent best for the team. I want them to win every game.
“We’ve got an amazing manager and a team buying into everything he’s doing.
“You can see it on the park with performances, team spirit, never giving up, being hard to beat.
“We’re on a great run and there’s a confidence within the squad. We can definitely do it. I’ve got 100 per cent faith in the boys.
“But it’s going to be a very difficult game against Ukraine. They’re a top team with excellent players. Everyone has great support for them with the terrible war back home against Russia.
“But on a football level both sets of players want to reach the World Cup.
“I think to play in that tournament is the pinnacle of any footballer’s career — and it would be no different for me. It would also be massive for Scottish football.
“If we were to win and then play Wales on Sunday, it would be an incredible occasion.
It’s also my birthday - and it would be some present if we ultimately qualified. But first of all we need to get a victory at Hampden and no one is taking anything for granted.
“Anticipation is massive but we’ll also be greatly helped by having over 50,000 fans supporting us.”
Tierney will be a massive miss for Steve Clarke's men as they look to back up last summer's Euro 2020 outing with back-to-back major tournament appaearances.
But the former Celtic defender knows the squad is still packed full of top talent who can get the job done.
He added: "I think the manager, the staff and the players deserve to make the World Cup.
“There’s been so much hard work put in by everyone. Reaching the Euros gave everyone a taste of what it was like to represent Scotland at a tournament - and everyone wants more.
“I think John McGinn said recently it’s like a club culture when you go away with Scotland. And he’s absolutely right.
“You’re with each other every day - and all the boys love being part of an international camp.
“I think we’ve got players of top pedigree throughout the squad. I mean, Andy Robertson played in a Champions League final on Saturday night. Then there’s Scott McKenna being promoted to the Premier League with the play-off final at Wembley on Sunday.
“All over the park we’ve got boys who know what it takes to play in big games.
“My former Celtic team-mate Ryan Christie has just been promoted to the Premier League with Bournemouth.
So Scotland are getting stronger and stronger.”
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