Scotland midfielder Barry Bannan admits the Republic of Ireland have set the benchmark in the Carling Nations Cup after their 5-0 thrashing of Northern Ireland.
But the Aston Villa man insists Scotland are more than capable of claiming the trophy when the two nations meet in the tournament's final match on Sunday night. The Scots' own win over Wales means it is now a straight fight between Craig Levein's men and the Republic.
Bannan said: "I watched that game and they played really well. It's probably been the best performance of the tournament so far. But we know what we're capable of and, with the players that we've got, we will fancy our chances going into this game."
He added: "There is no point coming here if you're not going to try to win the tournament. We've got a great squad and we haven't had as many call-offs as the other teams.
"It shows you how seriously we are taking it. To go into the last game with something to play for makes it even better and hopefully we can turn Ireland over and win it."
The last time Scotland won silverware was the Kirin Cup in Japan in 2006 and Bannan admits they would love to come out on top again.
He added: "There are not many opportunities for Scotland to win trophies so, when we get a chance like this, we will be going all out to win it.
"Hopefully we can put in a performance on Sunday and send the fans home happy with a bit of silverware."
Source: PA
