Darren Fletcher has called for Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir to be strong when Scotland face Lithuania after being the victim of a blatant dive when the teams last met.
With Scotland 1-0 ahead, Saulius Mikoliunas won a penalty at Hampden in a Euro 2008 qualifier after launching himself over Fletcher's outstretched leg. Fletcher admits he is wary about diving ahead of Scotland's opening European Championship qualifier and wants the officials to be on their guard too.
"I think you're aware of it in most games, especially in international football," the Scotland captain said.
"It's a little bit of a different culture to what we expect or are used to in the British game. All you can hope for is that the referee is strong and gets the major decisions right.
"Things in midfield aren't really a concern but it's the major decisions you hope the referee gets right and is strong on the night. That's all you can ask for as a player."
Fletcher will win his 49th cap on Friday night as Craig Levein starts his competitive career as Scotland manager.
Scotland warmed up for the contest with a 3-0 defeat in Sweden last month but Fletcher revealed Levein had made his mark on the squad since then.
"I've been very impressed, he is a really experienced manager and definitely knows what he wants from his players," the Manchester United midfielder said.
"He has made it very clear that the performance in Sweden wasn't acceptable. He expects certain standards from Scottish players, and they weren't reached in Sweden. So maybe that result was a timely reminder of getting back to basics and the manager stamping his authority on the team.
"The players seem to have responded this week, training has been very good, the tempo has been very good, the work rate has been very good. All you can ask for is that what you practise in training is taken into games."
Source: PA
