ARSENAL forward Lisa Evans admits playing in the Euros this summer, then going back to watch the later stages as a fan, has whetted her appetite to reach the 2019 World Cup in France.
Scotland can go top of Group 2 tonight if they beat Albania by four goals or more at St Mirren Park. As it is the first home game following the Netherlands tournament admission is free, and Evans and her team-mates are hoping for a good attendance despite the men's Premiership counter-attractions.
“Shelley [Kerr] wants us to play entertaining and attacking football, and maybe at the Euros that wasn't always the case,” the 25-year-old admitted. “The changes haven't been that massive, but we're looking to create more chances and score more goals.
“Holland in the summer was absolutely mind-boggling. I didn't expect it to be as big as it was.
“You get a small taste of that and you're hungry for more. It definitely motivates you even further to get to your first World Cup.”
Tonight's game is the second of a double-header, the opening Group 2 game against Belarus having been won 2-1 in Minsk on Thursday night. That maintained Kerr's 100 per cent record since replacing Anna Signeul as head coach after the Euros, adding as it did to last month's 3-0 friendly win in Hungary.
Kerr said she had been pleased by “80 per cent” of the performance against Belarus, but has promised to make changes. Her side missed a number of good chances in Minsk, but the head coach would have made changes regardless as she is determined to keep all her players on their toes.
That includes former Glasgow City player Evans, who joined Arsenal just before the Euros after five years in Germany, firstly with Turbine Potsdam and latterly with Bayern Munich. She was a regular in the side under Signeul, and has scored 14 goals in her 65 appearances, including two this year against Austria and Romania.
“The win against Belarus means we're going into the Albania game positively,” Evans said. “We've done a lot of analysis on them and got the scouting reports.
“They're going to sit deep and they're going to be compact, so we're going to have to be patient and break them down. Taking our chances is an area we're looking to improve on as a team.”
Tonight's kick off is at 7.30pm.
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