European Curling Championships: Bruce Mouat's Scots men eye 'history and revenge' in final

Bruce Mouat says it is "surreal" to be on the brink of becoming the first Scottish skip to retain the European curling title since 2008.

To match David Murdoch's feat from 14 years ago, his rink will have to beat a Swiss team that inflicted the Scots' only round-robin stage defeat.

Win and Mouat will be champion for a third time in four years come Saturday.

"We are definitely looking for a bit of revenge after that round-robin game," Mouat tells BBC Scotland.

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"That is always really nice to hear that you have that chance to get yourself into the history books.

"To get to do it for the first time in 2018, it meant a lot. To win that event was crazy, so now, four years later, in 2022, going for a third title, it is a pinch myself moment, because it is a bit surreal."

Mouat's rink beat Italy 7-4 in Ostersund on Thursday, while the Yannick Schwaller's Swiss followed that on Friday with a 6-3 victory over the Swedish hosts, this time led by Oskar Eriksson instead of world and Olympic champion Niklas Edin.

The 28-year-old Scot points out that, although the Swiss rink is new this season, they topped the round-robin, during which they eased to a 7-2 win over the reigning champions.

"They are a very good opposition," Mouat says. "They have been very well-established individual curlers and they have become a very strong team this year and won a lot of events over in Canada.

"It is going to be a tough game, but we know that we can beat them."

Mouat and team-mates Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan survived a tight last-four encounter against Joel Retonraz's Italian rink, who are the only side to beat the Swiss and who were unbeaten until losing to the Scots.

Scotland had inched into a 3-1 lead only for the Italians to level with a double at the seventh end, but scoring four at the next gave Olympic and World silver medallist Mouat a match-winning lead.

Italy would later beat Sweden 10-7 in the bronze medal match.

Finishing in the top eight in the round robin had already qualified those sides for next year's World Curling Championships.