Scotland assistant coach John Carver admits getting another win over Spain would be all the sweeter given the “disrespectful” comments some of their opponents made in the wake of their Hampden defeat.
Carver was “agitated” by criticism from the likes of Manchester City midfielder Rodri after Scotland beat Spain 2-0 in March.
But the former Newcastle interim manager believes his players will not be distracted by the issue ahead of Thursday’s return fixture in Seville, in which Scotland can qualify for Euro 2024.
Spain captain Rodri claimed the way Scotland played was “rubbish” as he accused them of wasting time, provoking his team-mates and falling over, while debutant David Garcia argued the Hampden grass was too long.
Carver said: “I have got to be honest, I didn’t like it. I felt it was disrespectful. But it was their prerogative to say whatever they wanted to say. Whether they used that as an excuse, I don’t know.
“As far I was concerned, it agitated me and I’m sure it would have got to some of the players.
“But there’s a long time gone since then and it’s about being professional and having a clear head going into this game. So I don’t think it will be a distraction.
“Any win is sweet and you celebrate it for sure, but after what they said it would be nice to win.”
Spain have scored 16 goals in their subsequent three qualifiers and will be out to surpass Scotland’s 2-0 win to give themselves the best chance of topping the group.
Carver added: “I think they will be out to prove a point. A lot has changed since then, they had just brought in a new manager, they had changed quite a bit of the team.
“They are now more settled and have had a couple of great results and scored some goals.
“It’s a different type of game. They will have one eye on what happened at Hampden when we beat them, but they are professionals like we are and their minds will be on this game.”
Scotland have won all five of their Euro 2024 qualifiers and a point on Thursday would be enough to seal a place in next summer’s finals in Germany, while victory would secure top spot in the group.
Even defeat could lead to qualification if Norway fail to beat Cyprus at the same time, or fail to beat Spain three days later in Oslo.
Carver is just focused on getting as many points as possible rather than thinking about qualification.
“It would be great, but to be honest I am not even thinking about that,” he said. “We are in a great position, we still have three games left in this group. I want to get as many points as we can and keep this run going.
“You can say a point would be good enough, but I want to get nine points and, if not nine points, then seven points.
“That’s the attitude we have got to have because you know what it’s like going into tournaments – if you eventually get there you want to go into it with confidence.”
Carver confirmed manager Steve Clarke was still considering whether to switch to a back four following Kieran Tierney’s hamstring injury.
“We have had many, many hours of discussions on the telephone and continued that on Sunday,” he said. “It’s something we are definitely thinking about, but I am not going to give too much away.”
Scotland have lost Ryan Jack after the midfielder missed Rangers’ last two matches with injury, with nobody called up in his place.
Klopp laments late lapse as Liverpool fail to see out win
Jurgen Klopp was lamented his side's late mistake as Liverpool gave up a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Aston Villa in the Premier League on Monday.
The Reds were on top after a quick start as Emiliano Martinez gifted them an opener inside the first 61 seconds. Though Youri Tielemans equalised for Villa, Cody Gakpo and Jarell Quansah put Liverpool back in control.
Jhon Duran scored twice late on, netting in the 85th and 88th minutes to deny Klopp’s side three points.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, the German admitted that though they could not see out the win, he was proud of his team’s performance.
He said: "It got away from us. We played really good football. We were really good, played a lot of good stuff and caused a lot of problems.
"Before we changed, we gave them too many chances. It was very intense for the boys. They created too much. They were too often in our box, and we made the changes. Then we made a mistake. It happens but in that moment, it opens the door.
"They scored an equaliser, and I don't even know how. The character from the boys tonight was outstanding in our situation. We wanted to win the game. In the moment, when we gave away the 3-2, that was really tricky. That's it, that's the story of the game."
It looked like Quansah’s goal would be the winner for much of the second half, with the young defender heading in his first goal for Liverpool.
"I've been waiting for that moment," he told the BBC. "I don't score too many goals, so when it goes in the back of the net you just saw the emotion come out I guess.
"I just tried to get the best contact on it as I could. I'm thankful it went in.
"The way the crowd celebrated was a surreal moment, definitely one I'll never forget."
Emery praises 'special' Duran in Villa comeback
Unai Emery has praised "special" Jhon Duran after his late brace secured Aston Villa a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Liverpool in the Premier League on Monday.
The Reds looked to be on their way to a 3-1 despite Youri Tielemans’ strike after Cody Gakpo and Jarell Quansah added to Emiliano Martinez’s early own goal.
However, Duran's 79th-minute introduction changed the game as the Colombian scored twice in three minutes to salvage a draw.
Villa needed a win to secure a Champions League spot, but a point keeps their fate in their own hands despite Tottenham having a game in hand against Manchester City on Tuesday.
Emery was full of praise for his forward, acknowledging how important his goals could be by Sunday.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "Jhon Duran is a special player. We have to try and help him. He is a good guy, and he needs a team behind him. He is getting our demands better. He was very clinical and today was important for him.
"Today we are celebrating with our supporters, we have to push it and keep working and be consistent. We were consistent all the season. The team was being mature and always consistent in our mind. Inch by inch we did it.
"We are very proud of the season. It is not enough at the moment to get fourth. Even after we scored the two goals, we had chances. We are celebrating the season here with our supporters in Villa Park.
"We are only thinking of us. We will prepare for our match on Sunday, everything is in our hands."
Villa were on a three-game losing run going into the Liverpool contest, and John McGinn highlighted the team’s strong mentality to avoid another defeat.
"It's a brilliant effort towards the end. We got a bit of luck. It's been a tough few weeks with lads coming back and playing through the pain barrier. This place got us going," he told Sky Sports after the game.
"There's some of us that have never been close to the Champions League in our life. The manager has a no-excuse mentality. People have written us off and we've floated under the radar. We'll have our Man City tops on tomorrow.
"Big Jhon [Duran] is a bit nuts and is a nightmare to have in your team, but he's got quality. We need to keep his feet on the ground over the next couple of days."
Barcelona 2-0 Real Sociedad: Blaugrana back to winning ways to reclaim second spot
Barcelona reclaimed second place in LaLiga with a 2-0 home win over Real Sociedad on Monday courtesy of a Lamine Yamal first-half strike and a late Raphinha penalty.
Yamal put Barcelona ahead in the 40th minute when he coolly slotted home from Ilkay Gundogan's pass after a quick breakaway for his fifth LaLiga goal this season.
Raphinha's penalty in stoppage time sealed victory for the hosts after a VAR review for handball, leaving the Basque side in seventh place with 54 points, one behind Real Betis in the last Europa League spot.
Xavi's side leapfrogged Girona to move on to 76 points, one clear of their Catalan rivals who dropped points in Friday's 2-2 draw at Alaves.
Real Madrid have already secured the league title, sitting on 90 points with three games left.
Data Debrief:
Gundogan got a vital assist for Barcelona's opener, and has been involved in 193 open-play shot-ending sequences in LaLiga this season, more than any other player in the competition.
Barcelona have kept a clean sheet in both games against Real Sociedad in LaLiga 2023-24 (W2), achieving this in a single season of the competition for the first time since 2006-07, when they also beat them twice.
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