Billy Dodds declared Inverness “ready to go” for Saturday’s Scottish Cup final even though they will have had more than four weeks without a match by the time the Hampden showdown with Celtic kicks off.
The Highlanders have not played a competitive game since losing their final cinch Championship fixture at home to Ayr on May 5.
That result cost them a crack at the play-offs and the squad were given nine days off before returning to training to focus on their bid to pull off a ‘miracle’ this weekend.
“It’s not been ideal and it has been a challenge but it’s not been terrible,” said boss Dodds, reflecting on the month-long gap between matches.
“I would have loved to have been in the play-offs having top-notch games going into the final but it wasn’t to be.
“The bonus about it is we got a wee rest, got them back for three weeks, conditioned them – not that they needed it – had a couple of (bounce) games and a practice game (against Dungannon Swifts), so we’re ready to go. It’s not been ideal but it’s not been terrible either.”
While Inverness have been idle, opponents Celtic have continued playing matches, albeit generally not to the same standard that they had set for the bulk of the season.
The Premiership champions – who will land a domestic treble if they secure the Scottish Cup on Saturday – won only two of their closing six league games, although they did finish their campaign with a 5-0 win over Aberdeen on Saturday.
Asked if Celtic’s recent form gave him optimism, Dodds said: “Did you watch the Aberdeen game at the weekend?
“We respect every opponent, as we have done throughout this competition. We respected Livingston and Kilmarnock and we had to because they’re Premiership teams but we have to focus on what we can do.
“We’re going to need a bit of luck, top-notch performances from my players, my goalkeeper to have a good day. But when I was at Queen of the South (as a coach) and we played Rangers in the (2008) Scottish Cup final we were 2-0 down at half-time (before coming back to 2-2 and then losing 3-2).
“This competition’s all about miracles and they do happen. We’re going there with the mindset we can win the game.”
Inverness’ best moment in their history came in 2015 when they won the Scottish Cup, and Dodds is hoping to repeat the feat eight years on.
“I think people remember the fairytales,” he said.
“You just have to look downstairs and see all the boys on the wall when Inverness last won the cup.
“I know it was against Falkirk but they beat Celtic in the semi-final. Things like that are always remembered, and rightly so. Any provincial club who wins a trophy, for example Ross County won the League Cup in 2016, it’s got a right to be remembered.”
Dodds has a full-strength squad to choose from with the exception of long-term absentees Shane Sutherland and Tom Walsh, and he already has a good idea what his starting XI will look like.
“Because of the time off we’ve had, I’ve had plenty of time to think about how I’m going to try and nullify Celtic, because they are going to have a lot of the ball, but also try to be a threat as well,” he said.
“I’ve got to try and get that balance. I’ve got an idea of my team but you can never name it until the week’s over in case you pick up an injury or two.”
Scaloni 'not here to criticise' Argentina after shock Paraguay defeat
Lionel Scaloni says he is "not here to criticise his players" after they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Paraguay in World Cup qualifying.
Lautaro Martinez had given Argentina the lead in the 11th minute – his powerful shot past Roberto Fernandez was initially ruled out for offside before a VAR review overturned it.
However, Paraguay were soon back on level terms. Gustavo Gomez rattled the crossbar with a diving header from a corner, but they regathered possession and pulled level with a sublime overhead kick from Antonio Sanabria 19 minutes in.
Two minutes into the second half, the hosts completed the turnaround through Omar Alderete, who met Diego Gomez's precise free-kick to nod in from close range.
Rodrigo De Paul arguably should have equalised for Argentina with just over 20 minutes to go, but under pressure, sliced over from close range, with the visitors unable to salvage a point.
It was a third defeat in World Cup qualifying for the Albiceleste, who remain top of the standings with 22 points, and Scaloni chose to focus on the positives.
"I'm not here to criticise my players; I'm here to support them," Scaloni said. "We knew it was going to be a tough match. We're here to move forward.
"In the first half, we played a good game, but the first action at the start of the second half made everything more difficult. We have to congratulate the opponent, who defended very well.
"I don't know if they found the antidote [to beating Argentina]. We're hoping to get back on the positive path.
"The team always tries and stands tall. That's what's important: never giving up on the game and always having the desire to compete."
Paraguay are sixth in the table, having extended their unbeaten run to six matches, which also includes a win over Brazil.
They had to dig deep, having only 23.2% possession throughout the game, though they had eight shots to Argentina's nine and scored with both of their efforts on target.
Head coach Gustavo Alfaro is yet to lose a game since taking over Paraguay after the Copa America, and he hailed his team's resilience.
"With the rebelliousness of these players in the face of adversity, I have no doubt that we will get there. When the predisposition is so great, time is secondary," he said.
"They were fantastic points, very difficult. It is difficult to take a point from Argentina."
Real Madrid hit Twente for seven, five-star Wolfsburg also win big
Real Madrid had six different goalscorers as they trounced Twente 7-0 in the Women's Champions League on Wednesday, while Wolfsburg beat Galatasaray 5-0.
Signe Bruun opened the scoring three minutes into the Group B encounter at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, then Maria Mendez's header gave Madrid a 2-0 half-time lead.
Madrid, who had won one and lost one of their opening two games in the tournament, got a third through Naomie Feller five minutes into the second half, then Caroline Weir made it 4-0 with a brilliant free-kick.
Mendez headed home her second of the encounter shortly after the hour mark, while Oihane Hernandez and Carla Camacho got on the scoresheet late on to complete the rout.
The victory took Madrid second in the Group B standings ahead of Chelsea's trip to Celtic.
Wolfsburg were also convincing victors in Group A, getting off the mark for this season's competition as Rebecka Blomqvist scored a hat-trick in their 5-0 thrashing of Galatasaray.
The Bundesliga side – who failed to pick up a point or score a goal in their opening two matches – had a narrow 1-0 lead at half-time through Joelle Wedemeyer, before Blomqvist took centre-stage in the second period.
She tapped home after Janina Minge struck the crossbar, then added her second goal in the 77th minute and her third six minutes into stoppage time.
Vivien Endemann powered home a fifth for Wolfsburg one minute later, as they provisionally moved within three points of Lyon and Roma ahead of their meeting.
Taylor pleased with City's physical test during Hammarby win
Manchester City head coach Gareth Taylor was pleased with how his team stood up to the physical challenge of Hammarby in their 2-0 Champions League victory on Tuesday.
City's win extended their unbeaten start to the season, having won every game in all competitions following a 2-2 draw against Arsenal on opening day.
“Difficult game for us, physical challenge, a physical team in Hammarby. I think they outnumber us a little bit in terms of size, considering when you look at our midfield. But I thought the girls handled it really well," Taylor said after the game
“I thought we dominated the game. In the early parts we were just a little bit off in our final action. We just needed to speed up a little bit in terms of being on the end of it, and we spoke about that at half-time, and we score with Laura getting into that type of position we’d been talking about.
“[The physicality was something] we were prepared for, but dealing with it is a different thing. Having Bunny [Khadija Shaw] and Alanna [Kennedy] on the pitch, two of our more physical players, is really important, particularly for set-plays.
“At 1-0 we were defending a couple of scenarios like that, Yama [Ayaka Yamashita] making a really good save at one point. Then Aoba [Fujino] got the goal that maybe allowed us to change things up a little bit more, get some people off that we’d like to manage.
“I think the girls have dealt with it really well tonight. We expected it, we thought it would be difficult, and they rose to the challenge.”
The victory leaves City top of their Champions League group with a 100% record after three matches, three points above second-placed Barcelona.
Taylor had made changes to City's starting XI, with Lauren Hemp among the trio to drop out from the weekend and she did not feature in the squad. Ahead of their weekend game against Chelsea, who are second in the WSL, Taylor explained the reasoning behind Hemp's absence.
“We’ve just got an issue with Lauren that we just need to analyse a little bit further, that’s all," he said.
“It’s something that potentially happened in the Palace game [on 3 November]. She was able to play in the Tottenham game [last Friday] but wasn’t able to tonight, so we’ll just take a little bit longer to assess and find out more.
“Hopefully [she can play against Chelsea]. There’s an opportunity there, we’ll just have to take a moment tomorrow, have a good conversation and find out where we’re at with the medical staff.”
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
