CHE Adams has expressed confidence that having so many Scotland players plying their trade in Italy will help Steve Clarke’s men to perform on the international stage as he prepared to face a star-studded Portugal side at Hampden.

Adams moved from Southampton to Torino during the summer and has made an excellent start to life in Serie A by scoring four goals in his first nine games for the Piedmont outfit.

The striker was joined in the football-obsessed country by his compatriots Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay, who moved to Napoli from Brighton and Manchester United respectively, back in August.

The 34-times capped 28-year-old feels that he and his team mates will all improve as players in the months ahead as a consequence of their transfers and is optimistic that will ultimately benefit Scotland.

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Speaking ahead of the Nations League meeting with Portugal at Hampden this evening, he said: “I think it just opens up your mind to experiencing different levels and different competitions.

“That can help the nation because we've got a few boys now that are playing abroad. We're coming together now and bringing different ideas and different styles of play. Things like that help.

“It's a huge bonus to the nation. What I've learned from moving abroad is it just makes you grow as a person as well, in terms of off the pitch. Taking on that challenge and being uncomfortable. I think that will only help you in life and in football.”

(Image: PA Wire) Adams added: "They like to play the ball forwards quickly in Italy. That obviously gives the strikers and the forward players enough chances to create and score goals.

“Are there similarities between Scotland and Torino where I'm at? It's just the mentality in terms of not giving up anything easy and being hard to play against. I think that goes well in Italy because everything is so tactical and so defensively set up. So I think the two go well together.”

Adams, who replaced Lyndon Dykes in the closing stages of the League A Group 1 match against Croatia in Zagreb on Saturday, was devastated when a lengthy VAR check disallowed the injury-time own goal he had forced the defender Kristijan Jakic to score.

“It was an amazing feeling to think we had the draw there,” he said as he looked back on the 2-1 defeat. “I just thought the ball was there and I had to go for it. I've obviously kicked it off the guy. I thought I was onside. I'm not sure why it took so long to be honest. I think they were probably looking at a few events before that.”

Adams also confessed that he had found it tough to watch Scotland lose their Nations League games against Poland and Portugal from his home in Italy last month after being ruled out by injury and admitted he was determined to help them get back to winning ways.  

“It was definitely hard to see how much effort went into both the games, especially to get to Portugal and lose so late in the game,” he said.

"It was devastating and definitely hard for the team as well. But we're going to learn from these experiences. There's another chance for us to put things right tomorrow, so that's what we're looking forward to. 

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“That's what we've been focusing on in the past two days, ever since the Croatia game. We know how good of a nation Portugal are and how many amazing stars they've got, but it's down to us and what we do on the pitch.

"We've definitely got the team to hurt them and shake them about. That's what we proved against Croatia, against a top nation as well. Tomorrow is going to be no different.”

(Image: SNS Group) Adams continued: “I think we've got a good enough group now to acknowledge when things are going bad and to put a positive spin on things. So, the dressing room has been okay. We're just looking forward to now to putting things right tomorrow.

“We're working on things day in and day out to produce positive results. I think the games have been really positive. We've just not got the rub of green, in some cases, like my one yard offside the other day.

“Things like that, small margins, just impact your whole mentality a lot. So tomorrow is another chance to come up against one of the best nations in the world, some would say, so we're looking forward to that. 

“In football, results are the only thing that matter.  It's difficult for everyone in the group, everyone involved, but the gaffer is great. He's been in the job for so long now, so he understands how to manage the team and the players. It's credit to him and all the years he's been the manager of this nation.”