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Scotland vs Northern Ireland Preview
Scotland and Northern Ireland will meet at the Aviva Stadium in the first round of the Carling Nations Cup tournament.
Scotland will be led into battle by star striker Kenny Miller, who was made captain by Craig Levein this week. Miller told the Daily Record being captain of Scotland is “a massive honour,” and warned his teammates what they can expect. “I am bossy, moaning and demanding on the pitch” said the Bursaspor striker.Playmaker Charlie Adam will be in charge of supplying ammunition to Miller, and the Blackpool star could also be playing with Aberdeen striker Chris Maguire, who looks set to make his international debut.
Sunderland’s Craig Gordon and Glasgow Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor will fight it out for a place in the Scotland goal.
Republic of Ireland vs Wales Preview
The Republic of Ireland will play host to Wales in the inaugural Carling Nations Cup game on Tuesday.
The game will be played at the newly built Aviva Stadium, and is the first senior international tournament to be hosted in Ireland.The Nations Cup is a new tournament, and will be played in a league format with all teams playing each other once. After the Republic of Ireland and Wales go head to head on Tuesday, Northern Ireland and Scotland will clash at the same venue on Wednesday.
Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni outlined his team’s ambition when the tournament was unveiled. “The Carling Nations Cup is a competition that we would very much like to win,” said the Italian.
The Republic manager also outlined his excitement for the tournament when speaking to BBC Sport ahead of the Wales game. “This competition provides our players with familiar and tough opponents, and the added competitive edge to the tournament is the perfect preparation for the Euro qualifying campaign,” Trapattoni told BBC Sport.