ALTHOUGH they will be wearing a new strip at a new ground, Scotland's women are hoping for the same old when they play Macedonia in a Euro 2017 qualifier this afternoon.
The Scotland away pink strip will get its first airing despite the Group 1 game at the Paisley 2021 Stadium being a home tie. The Scots have never played at St Mirren's ground before either.
Despite the changes, Anna Signeul's side should make it four wins out of four in the group and extend their lead over top seeds Iceland, who don't play this weekend, into the bargain. Having played identical fixtures, the two sides have maximum points but Scotland hold a one goal advantage.
In an ideal world the home side wouldn't be playing today either because the bulk of the squad haven't seen action for at least three weeks due to their club seasons in Scotland, England and Sweden having ended. The notable exceptions are Kim Little and Jenny Beattie, who are on loan in Australia with W-League club Melbourne City, and Bayern Munich's Lisa Evans.
"We didn't want to play in this November window," Signeul admitted. "We never have in the ten years I've been here.
"The problem was Macedonia couldn't play in September this year or next year - and we needed to come to an agreement. If we didn't Uefa would decide when the match would be played."
The good news for Signeul and her players is that they are playing a nation which hasn't won a game for four years. Macedonia's dismal run continued on Thursday with another loss, this time 2-0 at home to fellow group strugglers Belarus.
Signeul's side beat Macedonia 4-1 in Skopje last month and were disappointed not to have won by more after scoring all their goals in the opening half hour. The coach expects playing in Paisley to be a plus, despite many of her players lacking recent game time.
"The pitch will definitely suit us," she said. "It's big and you can play good football. It's much bigger than the one in Skopje, so if we can move the ball quickly it will be to our advantage."
Striker Jane Ross will be playing her first game since signing for Manchester City earlier this month. It is a return to her roots for the Rothsay-born player as her first senior club was Paisley Saints Ladies.
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