Charlie Christie: Scotland are in a better place for qualification
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Tuesday evening’s third consecutive win for our national football team may have mattered little given that it was a meaningless group match but we are certainly in a better place going into the European Championship play-offs than we were a few months ago.
There is no doubt that our opponents in those play-offs will have infinitely more quality than either San Marino, Cyprus or Kazakhstan had but there is optimism for those games; the draw for which will take place in Nyon, Switzerland, today.
Potential semi final opponents will come from Bulgaria, Hungary, Israel or Romania.
Thankfully given that our home record is significantly better than our away form, we will host the tie at Hampden Park on Thursday March 26.
My choice would be Israel as we have beaten them at home recently and they are the lowest ranked in the current FIFA nations table.
But Bulgaria are going through a dreadful run of results and are also a team I feel we are more than capable of beating.
In the other semi final play off tie Norway face Serbia in a match that is very difficult to predict and I only hope that we are afforded a potential home match in today’s draw as this might just be the deciding factor as to whether we participate in the 2020 Championships or not.
National manager Steve Clarke has already suggested that the SPFL look at postponing certain league fixtures in the lead up to the play-offs and let’s hope those in charge make the right call and give our players the best possible chance to prepare correctly for these crucial games.
If we can produce two memorable displays that would achieve qualification it would mean a 2020 Euros group match against the ‘Auld Enemy’ at Wembley stadium along with two group games at Hampden – what a well deserved treat that would be for our ever faithful Tartan Army!
Whilst we were building optimism for the future Wales produced a stirring performance to defeat Hungary at the Cardiff City Stadium with Aaron Ramsey scoring twice in the ‘winner takes all’ showdown.
It has been a terrific turnaround from a Ryan Giggs’ Welsh side that, after three group games, had gained only three points and left themselves a mountain to climb but three wins and two draws from then on has seen them pip Slovakia and Hungary to that automatic qualification spot.
The Republic of Ireland also had a must win match last week but, despite Mick McCarthy’s men throwing everything they had at Denmark in the closing stages, they couldn’t find a winner and must now turn their attention to the play-offs and a match against Slovakia.
Northern Ireland will also play in those March play-offs against Bosnia Herzegovina but, having been drawn in the same qualifying group as Germany and Holland, I never envisaged them getting into the top two and, similar to Scotland; I always felt their best chance was
going to be via the play-offs.
Unbelievably, if both Irish sides win then they will face each other in the qualification final and the whole of Ireland will be enthralled at the potential for such a mouth watering fixture.
