McGregor believes Celtic's experience playing in Astana will help Scotland

Callum McGregor believes Celtic's previous experience in Astana can help when Scotland open their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign in the Kazakh city on Thursday.

Celtic played Astana in the Champions League qualifiers in 2016 and 2017, progressing both times.

The Hoops first drew 1-1 on the same Astana Arena artificial surface that Scotland play on Thursday before losing 4-3 the following year after a 5-0 first-leg triumph.

The Hoops also beat Shakhter Karagandy of Kazakhstan in 2013 when Scotland winger James Forrest netted a stoppage-time winner at Parkhead to complete a comeback from two goals down.

McGregor, who has twice played in Astana, said from the Scotland team hotel: When you have been here you know exactly what the standard is like.

There's no easy games, especially in international football. You are playing against elite players and you can't take anything for granted.

It gives you a wee feel for it, you think back to those memories. I think it can help.

It's always tough when you come to these places, far and wide and time differences. We are trying to stick on UK time, trying to keep everything as normal as we can in terms of the preparation side.

That will give us the best chance as possible of getting a result. On the night we have to perform as well.

The pitch is actually pretty good, the ball moves pretty well on it. Hopefully it will be OK and we can get the ball down and do our stuff.''

Scotland arrived to temperatures as low as minus 17C on Monday morning and it is not expected to break the freezing mark during the week.

But the roof is set to be closed in the stadium, making the game temperature about 11C.

On playing undercover, McGregor said: It's always a strange one. I think we did it the first year we came here and you start to get a feel for it. We did it in Zenit as well.

Obviously we will train in the stadium and get a feel for it so hopefully that will stand us in good stead.

I think psychologically you think about it more but once you are on the pitch and the game starts you almost just forget about it and try and play the game as normally as you can.''

Scotland - who also face San Marino on Sunday - are looking to build on a successful finale to their Nations League campaign, when wins over Albania and Israel in November guaranteed them a Euro 2020 play-off spot should they fail to qualify from a group that also contains Belgium, Russia and Cyprus.

McGregor said: The last two games we were definitely at it, there was a hunger in the team to succeed. It was a big week and everyone knew what we had to do to get through.

To get over that first major hurdle as a squad, it gives you confidence.

In football, momentum is massive. As soon as you get that first win or get that feelgood factor around the squad, then it can snowball into anything.

To get a good start in the campaign, you will see the confidence levels go up and you never know in football what you can do.''

The Celtic player looks certain to start on Thursday after making his comeback from a calf injury in his team's win over Dundee on Sunday.

It was really important,'' he said.I went from pretty much doing nothing at the start of the week to playing 90 (minutes).

It's a good one psychologically for me to do it. Getting flung in the deep end and coming out the other side, I know will be OK.'

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