Lyall Cameron is hoping for a birthday treat in Tynecastle and Kazakhstan this week.
The Dundee star has turned 22 while on international duty, preparing for one of the biggest Scotland U/21 fixtures in years.
The young Scots can take a huge step towards qualifying for the 2025 European Championships if they can get the better of Belgium in Edinburgh tonight.
The two sides are locked on points in Group B with second spot on the line.
Spain have already won the group, leaving Scotland and Belgium to fight it out – the three best runners-up qualify automatically with the rest going into play-offs.
Cameron & Co lead the Belgians on head-to-head record thanks to an impressive 2-0 win in November in which the Dundee playmaker scored the crucial second.
“We were really good that night, really organised,” he said.
“They had the majority of the ball, which you’d expect because Belgium are a really good footballing nation.
“But we scored early from a set-piece and then got another on the counter-attack.
“We were 2-0 up at half-time and then saw the game out really well.
“They’ll be coming thinking they are due us one but we know having beaten them there we can beat them at home.
“And head-to-head is in our favour so a draw would be good.”
‘Amazing’
Gaining a result tonight at Tynecastle would leave the young Scots needing a win in Kazakhstan to secure second place.
Cameron also scored against the Kazakhs in a 4-0 win in March.
And he’s determined to make it all the way to Slovakia next summer alongside Dens team-mate Josh Mulligan.
“I really enjoy playing for the U/21s and playing in a tournament like that would be amazing,” he added.
“It’s a good style of football and a lot of good players, I really look forward to it.
“I’m grateful that I play regularly – it’s great that the manager has trust in me to do that at that level.
“I hadn’t been in a Scotland squad before the U/21s.
“So it’s really good and I really enjoy going away with them. We play against really good players at that level, it’s great experience.”
He added: “We’ve done really well. Last time we played Spain in the first game and were up against guys who have played in Barcelona’s first team.
“We were up against it in that one but, to be fair, we kept ourselves in the game and got our equaliser but their quality showed in the end.
“They had real quality and it was respectable.
“But then we went through to Malta in a must-win game, at this stage they are all must-win, but we dominated that game.
“We played really well.
“Now Belgium is really the qualifier because if we win this one we go through.”
The match will be broadcast live on the Scotland National Team YouTube channel.
Double Dee?
Another Dee also has a chance of reaching Slovakia next summer with Austria.
Seun Adewumi, fresh from his brilliant finish against Kilmarnock, faces two big tests.
Austria lie third in Group H and face the top two – Slovenia at home tonight and then away to France on Tuesday.
Two victories would see them top the group, though they trail leaders Slovenia by five points.
Earlier in the group, they lost in Slovenia in October but defeated the French at home the following month.
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