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Ryan Christie believes the Scotland squad has the \u201cperfect\u201d mix as it looks to take a giant step toward Euro 2024 against Cyprus.<\/p>\n
Steve Clarke\u2019s side have won their first four qualifiers to sit top of Group A, eight points ahead of Georgia and Norway and nine ahead of Spain, albeit the Spanish\u00a0have only played two fixtures.<\/p>\n
After thrilling wins, most notably away to Norway and at home to Spain, the Scots are looking to at least extend their unbeaten run to nine games in Larnaca on Friday, hoping to eventually reach a second successive European Championship finals.<\/p>\n
Scotland then host England in a 150th anniversary match at Hampden and can qualify that night if results in the other group games go their way.<\/p>\n
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Talking about the team spirit and confidence in the camp, Bournemouth midfielder Christie, 28, said: \u201cIt is probably the perfect mix. I\u2019ve never had it so perfect in any other club I have been a part of in my career.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can see it when everybody meets up and has a brilliant laugh with each other, but when game time rolls around or when we\u2019re on the training pitch everybody\u2019s completely locked in.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s just a nice feeling. I think it also helps when everybody\u2019s meeting up and everyone\u2019s just kind of sliding in again back to normal and ready to go again. It definitely helps and hopefully that will help on Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the togetherness is always spoken about a lot, but the belief and confidence we have within ourselves as a group now has never been higher. Obviously qualifying for the last Euros and when we had that kind of slip qualifying for the World Cup, we were desperate to bounce back from that. To be fair ever since that we\u2019ve been right back on track.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe group of boys we\u2019ve got now, from experience right down to the young boys pushing in, everybody\u2019s pushing in the same direction and starting to show.\u201d<\/p>\n
We need to now keep qualifying for these tournaments because we’ve got a good enough squad to do it<\/p>\n
Christie believes the squad has benefited from the experience of qualifying for Euro 2020, the first time Scotland have reached the finals of a major tournament since 1998.<\/p>\n
The former Inverness and Celtic player, who will win his 40th cap if selected in Larnaca, added: \u201cObviously qualifying for the last one, and I\u2019m sure you guys (in the media) felt it too, was just like a massive weight off the shoulders, if anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd up to that point, it felt like almost we were jinxed not to qualify for anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo to get rid of that feeling was nice. It\u2019s definitely gone. And now we need to now keep qualifying for these tournaments because we\u2019ve got a good enough squad to do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that so we put that pressure on ourselves from within. I think before the last Euros we qualified for there was a pressure externally as well for us. It feels like everybody\u2019s together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Christie scored the first of his five Scotland goals in a 2-1 win over Cyprus in Nicosia in November 2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery good memories,\u201d he said of that contest. \u201cMy memories are that it was tough to be honest. That\u2019s my first memory.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s easy for the onlookers or supporters to overlook Cyprus but, especially when you\u2019re playing away from home against these guys, they make it so hard.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat last game was a tough one. So we expect the same on Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n