Andrew Robertson says Scotland can secure wins to qualify for World Cup

Scotland defender Andrew Robertson believes they can achieve the wins needed from all four remaining qualifiers to secure a place at the Russia 2018 World Cup.

Gordon Strachan’s men were denied a famous and much-needed win in Group F against England at Hampden Park on Saturday when Harry Kane made it 2-2 in added time, after two impressive quickfire free-kicks from Leigh Griffiths had overturned Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s opener for the Three Lions.

With six fixtures played, Gareth Southgate’s side remain six points ahead of fourth-placed Scotland who trail Slovenia by three points and Slovakia by four with games running out.
Strachan’s side travel to Lithuania on September 1 before a home game against Malta three days later, finishing off the group stage in October with the visit of Slovakia and a trip to Slovenia and, though there is little – if any – margin for error, Hull defender Robertson remains confident his side have got what it takes to produce the victories.

„If you look at the fixtures we have got, we are capable of beating them all if we can perform like that [against England],“ Robertson said.

„Slovakia away (0-3) and Lithuania at home (1-1) were disappointing performances, we are not hiding away from that.

„If we can put performances in like we did against England and Slovenia (1-0 win in March) then I think we will get the Tartan Army right behind us and if we do, Hampden is never a good place to come to.

„We have four games left and we know what we have to do.“
Robertson admitted a measure of culpability at Kane’s goal where, after midfielder Stuart Armstrong had conceded possession, the Spurs striker was unmarked and able to knock a cross from Raheem Sterling past keeper Craig Gordon.

The 23-year-old full-back said: „I think we had a four versus two and we could have killed the game off. We gave it away cheap and it went out wide.

„He [Kane] is in between me and Charlie [Mulgrew] and it is a good height that maybe Craigy could have come out but all three of us have maybe got to look at ourselves, that we could have done a bit better, we were all a bit uncertain.“