Scotland boss Gordon Strachan has defended his team’s disciplinary record amid suggestions it could get rough at Hampden tonight.
The build-up to the vital Euro 2016 Group D qualifier between the Scots and Poland has been peppered with accusations from the visiting camp that the home team could get physical.
Their star striker Robert Lewandowski has even admitted that he still harbours a grudge against defender Gordon Greer for a challenge during the 2-2 draw between the sides in Warsaw a year ago.
Lewandowski has called on tonight’s referee, Hungary’s Viktor Kassai, to make sure that he and his teammates are given adequate protection out on the field.
However, Strachan hit back with a killer statistic after doing his homework on the crime count in the qualifying campaign thus far.
Strachan said: “I just go back to it being 110 fouls committed by them to our 75.
“I have been asked a question about our discipline and I answer with facts rather than fantasy.
“I asked for that stat this morning because I thought it would be a theme!
“If you went back to 30 years ago then they could lay claim to it being anything goes in matches but the game has changed.
“It has been sanitised a lot since then and this is the best time to be an attacking player by a million miles.
“The surface is great for your control and the rules mean the players are looked after so everything is right.
“We had Charlie Mulgrew sent off for whatever he did in Germany but that was it.
“He would probably say he wouldn’t have expected to get sent off.
“We have felt our discipline has had to be good because I don’t want people sent off and costing us things.
“I actually think there is a lot of respect between the two teams having played each other twice. I certainly get on well with their coach (Adam Nawalka).”
Strachan was asked how much he rates Lewandowski and the Scots boss was fulsome in his praise.
He said: “You can say for the last five years that (Lionel) Messi and Ronaldo have been the best players in the world but I think he has been the best player in the world for the past month.
“If you are the world’s best player even for a month or a week then that is some accolade.”
As for his own forward line, Strachan didn’t rule out starting with Celtic’s in-form Leigh Griffiths, although Sunderland’s Steven Fletcher remains the favourite to lead the attack.
“I have to think about who is right for this game,” said Strachan, who will be without injured duo Mulgrew and Ikechi Anya, as well as the suspended James Morrison.
“There are different times when you are doing all the pressure you might need to have somebody that is different from when you counter-attack.
“It might be that your guy up front has to keep the ball because you have other guys around him who can come and join in.
“I have got to try and work out in my mind with the coaches, which we have been doing this week, what kind of game this is going to be and then pick the players for that type of game.
“If it were a different team we were playing against I might have needed different players. It depends on who you play against.
“We have been we have been throwing it about all over because we have not got somebody who goes, bang, you’re playing.”