National Stadium to host Scotland vs Italy friendly match

The National Stadium will be hosting a friendly match between Scotland and Italy on May 29th as part of Scotland’s training camp which they will be holding in Malta.

This was announced by the Scottish FA and the FIGC on Tuesday.

Scotland national coach Gordon Strachan said “It is imperative we are ready for the start of the World Cup Qualifiers in September and while we would rather be playing France or Italy in the European Championships, we must prepare properly against two top-class teams who will be highly motivated ahead of the finals.”

“Games like these will provide a focus for our players and the coaching staff. They also give us a chance to show that we are capable of competing in such company, as we did in the recent qualifiers against Germany and Poland.”

“The camp in Malta has the additional benefit of allowing us to familiarise ourselves with the facilities before our opening match in September.”

Malta will in fact host Scotland in the first match from the European Qualifiers leading to the 2018 FIFA World Cup on September 4.