‘With a bit of luck’: Souness backs Scotland to reach Euros knockouts

Graeme Souness has given Scotland a 50/50 chance of reaching the knockout stages of the European Championships for the first time.

The Rangers and Liverpool legend insists if Steve Clarke’s men take their chances and carry a bit of luck along the way then they can create history in Germany.

Souness, who was part of a Scotland ‘golden generation’ that reached five consecutive World Cups, believes the current squad can do something that has never been done by getting out of a group at a major tournament.

The 71-year-old represented the national team at the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups but, despite boasting top talents including himself, Kenny Dalglish and Danny McGrain, they narrowly failed to get further than the group stages, so he knows how the fine margins can make all the difference at that level.

He now has some reservations about the attacking options for Clarke, but is optimistic that their organisation and a host of players playing for the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool can help see them through to the last-16.

He said: “Steve Clarke’s doing a great job, it’s very difficult being an international manager because you can’t buy and sell players, you’re just working with what the nation has produced.

“I think we have a very good group just now, ideally you’d like an out and out goal-scorer but any team would want one of them and they are very hard to find and that’s why they cost so much in the transfer market.

“I think we are a wee bit short there, but we are well organised, McTominay has done really well from midfield getting goals, which has made the difference for us in games, so he’s got to continue doing that.

“I like McGinn in midfield, we have Andy Robertson who is a really good full-back and we look organised.

“For a manager, he’s got a group of players and it’s his job to get the best that he can out of them and he is doing that.

“I think, maybe with a wee bit of luck, that we can get out the group but it will not be easy, especially our start.

“I don’t gamble, but if I was a gambling man I’d say it’s 50/50, an each way bet, it’s going to be tough but it’s football at the highest level and the small mistakes will cost you dearly.

“And you won’t get three chances to score a goal, you might score one out of every two chances you get and that’s an area that we have a difficulty, but we can certainly nick games by playing counter attacking football and we can cause anyone we play a problem.”