Ice men will melt under pressure

But Gudjohnsen could break Dark Blue hearts

By Sean Wallace

Published:

DANGERMAN: Eidur Gudjohnsen in action against Christian Dailly the last time Scotland played Iceland, in 2003.

OPTIMISTIC: Former Dons defender David Winnie.

FORMER Dons defender David Winnie today warned Scotland not to underestimate Iceland.

George Burley’s squad were due to kick-off their World Cup campaign against Macedonia in Skopje this afternoon.

The 41-year-old, who played and managed Knattspyrnufelag Reykjavik, insists the Dark Blues face a far tougher time in the North on Wednesday in their second qualifier.

Now a lawyer, Winnie, who spent six months playing alongside Iceland and Barcelona hitman Eidur Gudjohnsen, reckons the Scots must exploit the Icelanders’ defence if they are to pick up a win.

Q What can Scotland and the Tartan Army expect when they travel to Iceland?

A It will be very tough because the Icelandic squad are very physical and powerful.

The Icelandic side are not as good as in previous years, but they still pose a real threat to any country they play.

Iceland will be fired up for this game because Scotland’s standing has greatly improved in world football over the last few years, and they are seen by many teams as being a scalp.

Football fans in Iceland do not hold out much hope that they can qualify for the World Cup, but if the team start well against Scotland, the fans will get right behind them.

After playing in difficult conditions in Macedonia, going to Reykjavik is the last thing they want.

Q What will be the key to overcoming Iceland at the Laugardalsvollur Stadium on Wednesday?

A Scotland need to put the defence under pressure because it is shaky and will leak goals if tested.

Scotland can definitely get three points, but they must remain solid as a unit because Iceland are very dangerous going forward.

But the Scots will get chances in Iceland and Kenny Miller could be the player to convert those chances.

It was disappointing to see Garry O’Connor pull out of the squad through injury as he could have caused problems as well.

Q Who are Iceland’s danger men that threaten Scotland’s hopes of qualifying?

A Their main strength is definitely up front as they have Barcelona’s Eidur Gudjohnsen, who is a class player.

But they also have Bolton’s Heidar Helguson who is a powerful striker and Reginna’s Emil Hallfredsson powering up the left wing.

He is very quick and can cause havoc with his crosses into the box.

Q You played alongside Barcelona’s Gudjohnsen at Reykjavik – can the Scots defence keep him at bay?

A He moved to RK Reykjavik in 1997 from PSV Eindhoven after suffering a bad injury, and moved to Bolton on a free about a year later.

During his spell at Reykjavik it was obvious that he was a class act who would go on to bigger things.

We all knew Eidur was special as he had fantastic ability and always seemed to be two passes ahead of everyone else.

His reading of the game was amazing.

Eidur is Iceland’s main danger man, and you do not play for clubs like Barcelona and Chelsea for nothing.

But a lot depends if he is in the mood or not, if not Scotland can keep him at bay.

Q How would you assess Scotland’s chances of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup?

A Scotland can qualify but it is vitally important to defeat Macedonia today to get off to a positive start before a tough trip to Iceland.

Macedonia will also be difficult, but these are the games Scotland must win to have any chance.

Realistically it looks to be a fight between Scotland and Norway for that second place.

Holland are favourites and taking anything off them is a bonus, but they must finish above Norway.

Scotland have got the fear factor back now, and no team in the world will want to face them.

They know that Scotland can beat any team at Hampden and can cause shocks away from home.

The Berti Vogts days when we were ranked in the world’s low 80s are gone, Scotland are rightly in the top 20 and a team of that stature can qualify.

Now there is a self belief in the Scotland squad after coming close to the Euros, the next step is to reach South Africa.

Q Jamie Langfield was a late call-up to the Scotland squad. Are you surprised there are not more Aberdeen players involved?

A I am surprised that Zander Diamond has not broken into the Scotland set up yet as he has really matured in recent seasons.

His talent was always there, but he was a little tempestuous when he first came through – though that has changed now.