Scotland's Men will be flying the saltire in Russia this week during the Four Nation's Invitational Tournament involving Pakistan, Russia and Ukraine. The squad's first fixture is Thursday 5 July against Ukraine, ranked 45 in the world. This is a must-win fixture for the Senior Men, who are, on paper, ranked 20 places higher than Ukraine.
On 6 July, Scotland confronts a strong Pakistan side in what will be the crunch match of the tournament. Currently ranked 5th in the world, Pakistan will be expecting a walkover against the Scots but Scotland is out to spoil the party.
Saturday's final round-robin fixture against Russia is likely to decide whether the Scot's are competing for silverware in the finals on Sunday. The men will be optimistic ahead of the match, being ranked 19 slots above their Russian counterparts.
The tournament will provide a learning curve for Scotland, who have the chance to experience more international competition. Whatever the outcome of the matches, Scotland must show goal scoring consistency throughout the week if medal opportunities are to arise in the finals on Sunday.
Source: Scottish Hockey Union
