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Women’s Nations League: Scotland vs. Austria

After working with the players for the first time with the women’s team, new head coach Melissa Andreatta is more excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for Scotland’s women’s team, believing they can maintain their top-tier Nations League status.

Scotland kick off a so far unfavorable Nations League Group A1 campaign on Friday with a visit to Austria and then four days later, with both games broadcast live on the BBC.

Scotland have struggled among the elite of the Nations League and hasn’t taken a point from their four matches, as they did during their first stint in League A in 2023.

At Hampden, they will need to defeat Austria by two goals to have a shot at preserving League A status through a play-off.

The Josko Arena’s matchday one defeat was 1-0, but those are Austria’s only losses in their modest campaign.

When the former Australia assistant head coach was questioned about whether she believed her new team could avoid falling to the bottom of the Nations League, she responded, “We believe we can do that.”

The 46-year-old continued, “Excited is a good word for me to use. I’m certainly on the ball, but I also want to be evaluated and aware that it will take time and that progress must be made to match our goals and beliefs.

The first few weeks have been more than I had anticipated. I told the players that football speaks for itself and that I’m falling in love with this nation.

Following Scotland’s failure to reach the Euro 2025 finals, Pedro Martinez Losa left and is now in charge of Mexican club Tigres. Andreatta has since assumed his new role.

Given that the 35-year-old will retire at the end of this international window, she will only have two games to work with Rachel Corsie, but she has been impressed by what she has seen.

In her final international camp, the Australian paid tribute to the former captain’s demeanor.

What a legend working with Rachel Corsie has been very humbling, Andreatta said.

“Rachel’s professionalism and willingness to share her experiences with both players and staff is what really stood out,” she said.

On her return to camp, “I think she’s had a really positive impact on the group,” she said, noting that her only interest is her role and what the team needs to do to play the way we want to.

Kathleen McGovern, who has scored 25 goals for the Scottish Women’s Premier League leaders, has received his first callup for Andreatta’s first squad, along with Rangers captain Nicola Docherty and two club-mates, winger Brogan Hay and forward Kirsty Howat.

Andreatta hopes to draw inspiration from Alexander Schreibl, who won his first game against Scotland in February and came out on top with a score of just 1-0.

The last two times they met, and these two have each won once, demonstrating how closely fought Friday’s game will be. These two teams have been separated by one goal each.

Austria have faced challenges since that opening victory, losing 4-1 to Germany and 3-1 to the Netherlands both home and away.

However, they won two of those three games, and Schreibl has deployed additional attacking players to counteract Scotland, who have struggled for goals against teams with comparable or better squad quality.

Nicole Billa, who has 106 caps and has been called up, could start in a front two that has been deployed behind a diamond midfield throughout the Nations League.

Eileen Campbell, a second forward, has recovered from a hip injury.

Jenna Clark (Liverpool), Rachel Corsie (Aston Villa), Nicola Docherty (Rangers), Sophie Howard (Leicester City), Emma Lawton (Celtic), Rachel McLauchlan (Rangers), Amy Muir (Glasgow City), and Kirsty Smith (unattached) are the defenders.

Chelsea Cornet (Rangers), Erin Cuthbert (Chelsea), Lauren Davidson (Brann), Freya Gregory (Newcastle United), Brogan Hay (Rangers), Kirsty MacLean (Rangers), Amy Rodgers (Bristol City), Emma Watson (Manchester United), and Caroline Weir (Real Madrid).

Max Verstappen of Red Bull claims this year’s championship contest doesn’t “feel like a fight.”

After winning two of the first seven races, the four-time champion is 25 points adrift of championship leader Oscar Piastri.

Lando Norris, Piastri’s McLaren team-mate, is three points adrift of the Australian in victories.

Verstappen made it clear that he had little chance of securing a fifth title in 2025.

Verstappen remarked, “I just try my best and have a little fun out there.”

“I’m more excited if I know we’re going to be very quickly,” she said. That is the most exciting. Although I always make an effort, this year has had some real positives and some negatives, of course. We are really off the pace in some races, which is unfavorable.

That also doesn’t imply that I’m enjoying or loving it. It appeals to me. It hasn’t been remembered forever up until this point.

Verstappen’s pessimism stems from the fact that while the Red Bull is quick on circuits with medium and high-speed corners, like the Barcelona track, which hosts this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, it is slow at low-speed and over bumps and kerbs on street circuits.

He continued, “I don’t believe, not at all. Every weekend, I just rock up to the track and do my best. I don’t need to believe it. Totally or not. Every time I go out there, I make sure to do my best, I am aware of this.

“I will put it P5 if that’s with a car that can do that,” I said. I’ll win if it can win. Since I have a lot of free time outside of that, I just approach it very casually and it doesn’t consume a lot of energy.

Verstappen was a title contender, according to Piastri, who has four victories.

According to Piastri, “I don’t believe he can be counted out.” They have genuinely competed at a respectable number of circuits before, and the gap is not very large at the moment.

Verstappen expressed concern that a new technical regulation for this weekend would improve his chances of defeating McLaren.

At this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, F1 will conduct more stringent front wing flexibility tests to stop competitors from purposefully utilizing wing flex to improve aerodynamics.

Teams can balance their cars between high-speed corners and low-speed corners by flexing the front wings and using cunning carbon-fibre manufacturing techniques.

Because the wing lifts up when the car is cornering, they also “back off” on straights to increase top speed without sacrificing cornering performance.

Red Bull had hoped McLaren’s upcoming rule change, which allows wings to flex less for a certain weight when tested by governing body the FIA, would hinder the team.

Verstappen, however, says that “more must be done for our side to succeed.” Although some people will experience a little more impact than others, the situation won’t change everything.

“It will probably affect the car’s balance a little bit. Not too much for us. I don’t anticipate significant time differences between the teams.

Norris, who won in Monaco on Sunday, claimed that his team was unconcerned with them.

No, not at all, said Norris. There are a few minor adjustments, but nothing that will alter how we operate.

We’re confident because Lando has run the front wing before this year, even though I have not yet done so.

Not our magic bullet, though. Our main strength is not our ability to use magic bullets, but we do not.

Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton criticized the decision to place the stricter tests on the grounds that it would stop teams from addressing a fundamental issue with the aerodynamic behavior of the current generation of cars. The cars typically have too much front grip in the slow-speed corners and too much in the high-speed corners.