Preview for Scotland v Denmark
Scotland are hoping to make the most of an unexpected second chance when they host Denmark in a winner-takes-all contest tomorrow night.
Steve Clarke’s side lost 3-2 in Greece on Saturday night in a match they thought they would have to at least draw to remain in with a chance of automatic qualification for the World Cup.
But Denmark’s surprise 2-2 draw at home to Group C whipping boys Belarus means the Scots can go through with a win at Hampden Park.
They start the final matchday a point behind Brian Riemer’s men, who were booed off by furious fans in Copenhagen at the weekend following a dismal display.
Veteran goalkeeper Craig Gordon, who had not played for six months after being relegated to a back-up role at Hearts, rolled back the years with a fine display against Greece and will likely start again at Hampden tomorrow.
The 42-year-old said: “We’re still in it. And it’s now going to be one of the biggest games I’ve ever been involved in. It’s just massive.
“We’re slightly fortunate to get another chance but it’s up to us now to take it. We wanted to be alive going to Hampden and it happened. It just happened in a way we didn’t expect. We just have to try and take advantage of that now.”
Being a part of a World Cup squad would be a remarkable achievement at the end of a long career for Gordon.
He added: “It would mean everything to me (to qualify), absolutely everything.
“It’s actually making me quite emotional to even think about it. We’ve given ourselves a chance and we really need to focus now and prepare the best we can to make it happen. To qualify for a World Cup, given it’s not been done for so long, would be something special. Nobody has done it since 1998 so to get our fanbase back there would be amazing.”
Denmark boss Riemer remains confident despite his team fluffing their lines on Saturday.
“They [Scotland] are a team that you have to take seriously, but we have more quality,” he said. “However, not much has to go wrong before they can compete with us. So we have to deliver a top performance to ensure our qualification for the World Cup.
“I expect that they will come out firing at the start, but then they will turn into the Scottish team that we know. If it’s still tied at the end, they’ll try to give it a good shot. That’s how I imagine the match will be.
“I think they’re fine if they haven’t necessarily decided the game after 10 minutes. If it’s 0-0 with 15 minutes left, they’ll have to throw everything at it.”
Team news for Scotland v Denmark
There has been a bug in the Denmark camp. Striker Rasmus Hojlund missed the Belarus game and trained alone yesterday. He will be on the plane to Glasgow but is unlikely to start.
