Scotland boss 'extra motivated' for World Cup qualifiers

New Scotland manager Pedro Martinez Losa admits he has “extra motivation” to beat homeland Spain in the World Cup qualifiers, but insists the upcoming games are just as important in the race to reach Australia and New Zealand.

The Spaniard was appointed as national team boss in July but has had to wait for his first taste of action. Having begun training with his squad, he’s focused on making a strong first impression when the side play their opener in Hungary on Friday before tackling the Faroes at Hampden next Tuesday.

Spain and Ukraine are the other sides Group B and Martinez Losa says the match against the top seeds will be important for him personally but will also be a marker for the team as they look to upset the odds and win the section.

He said: “The most exciting thing for me is to create the identity of this team, to connect with the players, the staff and make the most of the team and the performances, to create something really special for Scotland.

“But of course, I am Spanish and when we play against Spain I will have extra motivation of course to beat them and prove what Scotland can do.

“We cannot say one game is more important than others.

“By the time we play Spain we will love to be in the position to compete for the first position with them.

“We have to go game by game. We will try to aim for first position.

“We are aware that first position is difficult but only if you dream and work for the first position, maybe you get the second but if you aim for second you maybe get third so will aim to win every match and will recap after every match.

“Let’s try to be first and if we are just second at the end, we will deal with that.”