| That’s the verdict of former Dundee skipper Barry Smith, who’s spent the last three summers playing alongside and against many of the players the Scots will face in the Laugardalsvollur Stadium.
Smith will be in the crowd and, if his old Dens Park mate Jamie Langfield does the business, will be with the Tartan Army.
And, despite the disappointment of the defeat in Macedonia on Saturday, he believes George Burley’s team can be flying back south with three points in the bag.
“I was surprised Scotland lost, but they were good enough in the second half to have taken something. If they play that way here it could be enough to win,” said the man who is approaching the end of the league season with Valur.
“It won’t be easy and the players up here are physically very strong. On top of that, they got a draw in Norway on Saturday and that will have boosted their confidence.”
A couple of Smith’s team-mates at Valur, most notably goalkeeper Kjarton Sturluson as well as others who were sold recently, are likely to line up, but the danger man will be one of the overseas contingent — Barcelona’s Eidur Gudjohnsen.
“They are a useful team and there are a few players from overseas, but everything is played through Gudjohnsen.
“In Norway on Saturday, they pulled him back into midfield and, as soon as they get the ball, he tends to be the one they look for. If Scotland can deal with him, their chances of winning will be good.”
Cultural differences between dressing-rooms in Scotland and Iceland mean he’s found it hard to judge just how optimistic the Icelandic players are, but, since Saturday, he has detected appetite for this game among the locals is increasing.
“They are much more reserved up here. As well as myself, we have Baldur Bett in our team, but there has not been much banter in the build-up.
“The fans have not seemed to be that excited about the World Cup either and, at the weekend, there was still a few thousand tickets left unsold.
“They do tend to buy late, though, and the Norway result has lifted interest, so I think it will be a decent crowd.”
He’ll be among them and has been on to his old team-mate to ensure he can safely wear his tartan scarf by getting him tickets for the away end.
“Hopefully, Jamie can do me a turn on that score. It’s good to see him get called up to the squad because, after having a difficult patch at Aberdeen, he’s got his head down and worked hard, so he deserves the recognition.”
After tomorrow, Barry’s attention will be focused on finishing what is likely to be his final season with Valur.
“I haven’t made my mind up for definite yet, but I’ll probably be looking to stay home after this. I might stay on until the end of next month to do my coaching badges, but then I’ll be back in Scotland and, from January, I’ll be looking to get fixed up somewhere.” |
