Scots plot Italy upset

There is no team in world football as accomplished as Italy when it comes to handling big-pressure situations.
But Scotland boss Alex McLeish still believes the World Cup holders can be unsettled by the experience of playing before a fervent Scottish crowd with qualification for Euro 2008 on the line.
That is the challenge the Italians will face when they run out at Hampden on Saturday and McLeish is counting on an element of nervousness being a factor that could help Scotland clinch qualification at their expense.
"We know we face the world champions, they've been in these situations many times before - and they should be able to handle it with their mentality," McLeish told the website of one of Scotland's main sponsors.
"But it's a football match, 11 against 11, and I'm sure the Italian guys are as human as anybody else.
"If we can rattle them then it should be very interesting."
Whatever happens on Saturday, McLeish and his predecessor Walter Smith can be proud of their achievement in reviving the fortunes of a Scottish national side that had touched the lowest ebb in country's football history only a few years ago.
Going into their final group match, the Scots still have their destiny in their own hands -- a remarkable achievement in a section that included France and Ukraine as well as the Italians.
"I don't think anybody would have believed it at the start of the campaign," said McLeish, who has been in charge since Smith returned to Rangers in January.
"I'm sure that everybody would have hoped for something like this, but I don't think anybody in their wildest dreams would have believed we'd be contesting Italy in the very last game for qualification.
"And I think it's been a tremendous campaign whatever happens - I don't think we should even be using the term 'so far'. It's been a tremendous campaign, win, lose or draw against Italy."
Although the Scots can boast home and away wins over France, Italy will be bolstered by memories of the relative ease with which they beat them in Italy earlier in the campaign and McLeish is under no illusions about his ability to come up with a tactical system that will catch them by surprise.
"I think they know what we're all about," said McLeish. "They've already beaten us in the campaign, but we've had a tremendous run at Hampden and we'd like to finish with another victory at Hampden which has been a fortress for us."
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will be among the Scottish supporters on Saturday and, having relied on McLeish as one of the defensive lynchpins of his Aberdeen side in the 1980's, sees no reason why his country cannot reach their first major tournament finals since the 1998 World Cup.
"Alex was always tactically aware," Ferguson said. "As a young kid at Aberdeen he was one of the few that I would have thought was going to be a manager.
"He's an intelligent boy who loves the game. I'm not surprised by how well he has done. I think he was the perfect man to follow Walter Smith."
Scotland have taken maximum points from their five qualifiers so far at Hampden and Ferguson would love to see that record continue.
"It's one game and their record at Hampden Park is so good that you couldn't bet against them. I think they have a great chance.
"I think that going into this Hampden game there is pressure on Italy because if they lose they are out and because of their record in these situations.”After they won the World Cup in 1982 they didn't qualify for the European Championships in 1984.
"They've got a bad record actually in the European Championships following World Cups. They haven't actually been pulling the trees up (in this qualifying campaign), they've staggered along but Italy have done that many times and got there."