Following the summer departures of Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, the Whites invested significantly in their squad and more importantly their new man.
Yet as this rendition of the Premier League season reaches its‘ business end’ there was still a lot to be desired from the American, who has not really shown many signs of change in what has become another season on a course for relegation if things don’t change, and quickly at that.
This season has largely been a case of margins for the West Yorkshire outfit, sometimes those margins have been small, sometimes large. The only constant though is that Leeds have been on the wrong end of them more times than not.
Whilst only a week on from the closing of the January transfer window, the feelings between fans and Marsch hit an all-time low with supporters chanting for the American’s departure in the stands of the City Ground on Sunday afternoon.
This was not just a feeling held by those in the stands in Nottingham though, there has been distaste at Elland Road too. However, social media is where the real noise is to be heard, during and after the game this weekend ‘Yank Lampard’ was trending on Twitter, pulling similarities between the American and former Everton, Chelsea, and Derby manager Frank Lampard, who has been a disliked figure in West Yorkshire for some time.
The aforementioned summer and January investments haven’t been cheap, whilst the outgoings of Phillips and Raphinha reportedly brought in close to £95 million, the Whites also spent around £100 million with two of the Whites’ biggest investments, Brendan Aaronson and Luis Sinisterra failing to make the impressions once imagined they would.
Partner this then with the January coups of Georginio Rutter, Maximilian Wöber, and the loan signing of Weston McKennie, and for around £140 million over two windows, there isn’t a lot to show for that, currently at least.
Now that isn’t to say those players won’t come good in the slightest, all three bring something into the Leeds squad which has been lacking, Rutter brings another attacking option, which with Patrick Bamford’s inconsistency has been much needed, McKennie brings midfield depth and Wöber gives Leeds a progressive option in defence, who has the ability to help build from the back.
The bases are there to build on and around 100 percent, but the question that remained to be asked was, do Leeds United Marsch On Together with this promising team, or do they progress to someone new?
With owner Andrea Radrizzani confirming that the club may be sold in the near future and the expected party to take those shares being the American investment group the 49ers Enterprises, do they stick with an American and try to build the club’s reputation and supporter base in the States?
Yet, doing that was always going to be a major risk. Marsch didn’t seem to be winning back favour at Elland Road and hadn’t for some time. With games against other relegation rivals Everton and Southampton on the horizon, the side was desperate for new ideas, to keep them in the division.
With the news breaking on Monday afternoon that the club had parted with the American, the club now have a difficult process ahead of them that has to be calculated but quickly calculated.
The managerial market right now is a tough one to operate in, with few free agents available who would be the right fit for the club and the task at hand.
The elephant in the room is obviously Marcelo Bielsa, and whilst for some fans of this club this may be the one as such, the ship is believed to have sailed and the move makes little sense, Bielsa doesn’t take on a project mid-way through a season, as proved with Everton recently.
However, his former disciple might just be tempted to. Re-enter Carlos Corberán, the Spaniard is well known in West Yorkshire for his prior spell in the dugout at Elland Road as Bielsa’s assistant and then for his time at Huddersfield Town between 2020-2022, where he took the club to the Championship Play-Off Final in May of last year.
However, there may be complications with this, the 39-year-old was touted around to be a potential candidate for the Everton job too alongside his former mentor, yet the Merseyside club brought in Dyche.
Corberán’s West Brom side are flying and as such the coach is gaining many plaudits for the work he is doing as an upcoming and exciting young coach who has real potential to be the next something in management.
Corberán’s football is highly fluid and able to transition between systems and shapes depending on the opposition and how the game is being played, in attacks the Spaniard almost exclusively builds from the back and looks to create issues for teams with overlapping full-backs and then penetrate space.
Defensively though his sides are resolute, yet still fluid. Wide men can revert into more defensive roles to soak up pressure, or solely to follow the ball as the opposition progresses down their side.
When he took over the Midlands side they said at the bottom of the league, below his former side Huddersfield, now though the Baggies sit 6th in the division winning 10 of the 13 games under his rein.
Emerging as the bookies’ favourite early on is understandable, for many the Spaniard was deemed to be the successor to Bielsa on El Loco’s departure before his move across West Yorkshire, and with knowledge of the club and arguably still a connection to the club, it would make sense for Corberán to be the new face of a young side, which together could grow into an exciting young team, under an arguably more exciting young manager.
With the reported financial issues that face West Brom too, if the Whites were to make an offer to Corberán to return to the club, it would be hard to see him turn it down, however well his current club may be doing with him at the helm.
The next option is Ange Postecoglou, the Celtic boss is no stranger to rumours of a managerial switch across the border, although none of the previous have come to fruition. Formerly linked with the Chelsea, Brighton, Everton, and Wolves jobs the Australian has a growing reputation and it is clear to see why.
So far this season the Aussie has taken the Hoops to nine points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership, drawing once and losing once in their 25 games played this season, partner this with Champions League Qualification and you can quickly understand the reasonings behind clubs eyeing up the man at the Helm of the Scottish giants.
The Bhoys are usually dominant in the SPL, however under Ange they have become an entirely new force scoring 78 goals in the league this season, an outlandish number that gives a good idea of the dominance his side holds over the league, it’s worth noticing too that they too have only conceded 18 goals, just furthering this idea of dominance.
His sides often operate in a 4-3-3, utilising a high line with wide attackers to then push fullbacks or midfielders into the half-spaces offering exciting and energetic football on the front foot, to keep the idea of playing on the front foot, the former Australian National Team manager has revitalised his defensive structure since his time in charge of The Kangaroos, now preferring his team to press aggressively as opposed to the lower block he used to qualify his home country for the 2014 World Cup.
Again, though this presents the issue of having to present a manager away from a current job and with Celtic showing no sign of slowing down this may prove to be a more difficult task than his potential fellow candidate.
The final and most audacious candidate the Whites may look to though is Mauricio Pochettino, there is no doubt that this would prove to be an extremely difficult and unlikely proposition, yet there may be a chance.
Going back to Bielsa’s appointment given the Argentine’s reputation across the world, it would seem unlikely he would come to West Yorkshire but the club sold the project to him and as they say, the rest is history.
Therefore, as tricky as it may be, there may be a chance that they can replicate this with another disciple of their former manager. Leeds offers the chance to be an incredible project for any manager, with significant funds likely to be available if the club is taken over in the summer any potential manager could have their fair share of market usage.
Looking back at his time at Southampton, he took over mid-way through the season and revolutionised the club’s playing style and in doing so turned the club’s season round and left any doubts of relegation in the past.
His CV since then speaks for itself, and as such is always in the frame whenever a manager’s post becomes available in the Premier League, with him being the favourite for the Aston Villa job a few months ago until Julen Lopetegui took the reins.
As with the other potential candidates, the Argentine is known for his pressing football which seems to be a vital factor in Leeds’ managerial search as seen with Bielsa and Marsch, a style in which Pochettino excels.
Whilst the Whites likely won’t come to a decision soon, it is vital that their next manager is in place before their game against Everton so they have the best chance to implement any stylistic tweaks before what will go down as a must-win game for the club if their rebuild is to be in the Premier League.
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Scotland moved one step closer to their dream of qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Austria & New Zealand with a narrow 1-0 victory against Austria after extra time in their semi-final play-off at Hampden.
Before the match there was a presentation on the field to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Scotland’s first Women’s match back in 1972.
Surviving members of that team came on to the pitch to receive a warm round of applause from the record 10,182 crowd for a competitive Women’s match in Scotland.
The conditions were tough for the players as the relentless rain continued throughout the majority of the match and both teams were finding it hard to get a grip of the game.
With few chances for both sides it seemed inevitable that the match would drift into extra-time and be decided either by a single goal or penalties.
A moment of magic from Scotland’s substitute Abi Harrison won the match when she bulleted a header from a corner kick past the Austrian keeper in the first couple of minutes of extra time.
After the match Scotland’s manager Pedro Martinez Losa was pleased with his win over the Euro 2022 quarter finalists:
“The mental strength helped us find the result against a very difficult opponent.”
The reward for Scotland’s victory is a one-off home match against the Republic of Ireland in the play-off Final. However the complicated qualifying system means that the winner of that match is not guaranteed a place at the finals as only the top two ranked playoff winners advance automatically.
The third play-off winners having instead to compete in an inter-confederation play-off tournament early next year involving nine other teams.
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]]>The Champions League gets back underway this week following the international break with several sides in desperate need of victories to spark their European campaign into life.
Group A
Napoli will travel to Amsterdam looking to maintain their perfect start against an Ajax side smarting from their late defeat against Liverpool. The Italians have arguably been the standout side in the competition so far and can take a giant leap towards qualification with a victory in the Dutch capital.
Elsewhere it will be a first ever meeting of Liverpool and Rangers at Anfield with both sides needing wins for different reasons. Liverpool will look to Europe to gain some form after stuttering in the league while Rangers are yet to get off the mark in their return to the top table.
Group B
Club Brugge have arguably been the biggest surprise package in the tournament so far and will look to claim another scalp when they host Atletico Madrid.
The Belgians have made a perfect start and another victory would open a big gap between themselves and third place in the group.
Porto will be aiming to get off the mark after two defeats in their first two games when they host Bayer Leverkusen. The Germans are struggling domestically but did defeat Atletico last time out so they’ll have some belief travelling to Portugal.
Group C
Bayern Munich have once more made an impressive start to a Champions League group stage and will get the action underway on Tuesday when they host Viktoria Plzen in the early kickoff.
The German champions defeated their two biggest group rivals in September and will be expecting to dispatch of their Czech visitors to maintain their lead in the group.
Inter Milan meanwhile will host Barcelona in what is the biggest game of the week.
Both sides came up short when facing Bayern and both defeated Plzen so they’ll view these two upcoming games as the key to deciding who will follow Julien Nagelsmann’s side into the last 16.
Group D
Sporting are another side who have impressed, taking six points in what looked the most open group on paper.
They travel to Marseille on Tuesday who desperately need a win if they are to stand any hope of reaching the next round. The French side have started well in the league but have struggled badly in Europe in recent years and will be desperate to give the home support something to cheer.
Tottenham will visit Eintracht Frankfurt in the other Group D clash looking to bounce back from their weekend defeat to bitter rivals Arsenal and take steps towards qualification. It will be far from easy against the Europa League winners who will also have their sights on the latter stages.
Group E
AC Milan head what has been a very tight and unpredictable Group E and will host Chelsea on Wednesday night with injuries to key players disrupting their preparation.
French pair Mike Maignan and Theo Hernandez will miss the clash against Graham Potter’s men who needs points themselves having stuttered in their opening two games.
Salzburg are unbeaten thus far but have also yet to win but a victory over Dinamo Zagreb at home would put them in good stead heading into the turn in the group. The Croatians will be aiming for another surprise victory having stunned Chelsea last month.
Group F
Holders Real Madrid have made a serene start to their title defence and host Shakhtar on Wednesday looking to maintain their 100% record.
The visitors have also made a good start to the group and look favourites to join their hosts in the next round.
Celtic will travel to Leipzig looking to build on their credible draw against Shakhtar last time out and will need to get something to keep their qualification hopes alive as will the bottom side from East Germany.
Group G
Erling Haaland has been in utterly sensational form this season with 17 goals so far and the visit of FC Copenhagen will offer the Norwegian another chance to add to his tally.
The Danes picked up a draw against Sevilla three weeks ago but will be up against a Manchester City side brimming with confidence after sticking six goals past their local rivals Manchester United.
Sevilla have made a terrible start in La Liga and need to get something at home to Borussia Dortmund to avoid being cut adrift in terms of qualification. Victory for the Germans will see them move five points clear of their hosts with just three games to play.
Group H
Benfica have been another surprise outfit this season, winning nine of ten games in all competitions and two 100% records will go head to head in this group when they host PSG.
The Lisbon side claimed a stunning victory away at Juventus last time out and even a point here at home to the French champions will boost their chances of repeating what they did last year when they knocked Barcelona out in the group stages.
Juventus will be looking to avoid the same fate as the Spaniards and nothing less than three points against Maccabi Haifa in Turin will do, with manager Max Allegri under all sorts of pressure.
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Photo: Stephen Gormley (Red Eye Photo Agency)
Ireland recorded their first win in thirteen UEFA Nations League matches with an emphatic 3-0 victory at home to Scotland
Before this game, Ireland had gone ten home competitive games without a win, and had only scored two goals in a dozen winless UEFA Nations League games. This included defeats away to Armenia and at home to Ukraine in this campaign’s Group B1 earlier in June.
Under significant pressure, Ireland manager Stephen Kenny made five changes from their match with Ukraine. The 3-4-3 formation was also changed to a 3-5-2 formation. The goalkeeper and defence stayed the same, but there was now a three-man central midfield, with Knight dropping deeper in contrast to previous games.
Ireland started off on the front foot and looked very sharp with Alan Browne in midfield dictating play, taking on Andy Robertson for the full 90 minutes of the match.
In the 19th minute, McClean’s cross looked to be heading to Obafemi but McKenna just got in with the slightest of touches to take the ball off the striker’s head. However a minute later the Irish got the goal they deserved. McClean’s corner was headed back across goal from Shane Duffy and Browne reacted quickest, getting a crucial touch to bundle the ball into the Scottish net to make it 1-0.
In the 27th minute, Shane Duffy was careless playing the ball out from the back and McGinn was gifted the ball but he flashed the ball past the Irish post.
Scotland were to rue this good chance as moments later Obafemi played a clever little flick to his striking partner Troy Parrot who guided a clever header past the on-rushing Gordon to make it 2-0, sparking wild celebrations from the Irish crowd.
It was more of the same in the second half with Scotland looking tired and finding it hard to deal with the Ireland pressure.
In the 51st minute, Obafemi picked the ball up 30 yards out from goal and hit a thunderbolt of a shot past Gordon to make it 3-0 to Ireland. A very impressive first goal for his country.
In the 62nd minute, it could have been 4-0 when Hogan got up above Robertson to head the ball to the far corner of the goal. However, Hanley got back to clear the ball just before it crossed the line.
Photo: Stephen Gormley (Red Eye Photo Agency)The match ended 3-0 giving the Irish their first Nations league victory after 13 attempts thereby taking some pressure off Ireland manager Kenny who said –
“It was the most significant victory for Ireland in seven long years.”
Ireland had not beaten a higher-ranked team at home since Bosnia in 2015 in a Euros play-off match.
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]]>Wales are set to meet either Scotland or Ukraine on June 5 in the World Cup play-off final, but who would Rob Page’s side prefer to welcome to Cardiff?
After the heroics from Gareth Bale scoring two great goals to secure the 2-1 win against Austria, the Dragons are just one game away from qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1958. They will now face either Scotland or Ukraine in the final which will take place at the Cardiff City stadium.
As we know, the play-off final was due to be played on March 29, but due to Russia president Vladimir Putin taking the decision to launch an invasion on Ukraine, the play-off semi-final between Scotland and Ukraine is yet to have been played.
Despite this, UEFA have confirmed that the play-off final will be played on the 5 June, with the semi-final being played on June 1 where Scotland host Ukraine at Hampden Park.
The final winners will reach the 2022 World Cup, and will face England, Iran and USA in the group stage.
But, out of the two teams who would The Dragons prefer to face off against?
There is a belief that Wales would rather play Ukraine than Scotland.
First of all, Scotland have a superior all-round squad than Ukraine. For example, they have a lot of experienced Premier League players including the likes of Andrew Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Scott McTominay, John McGinn etc. which I think will show when the teams play each other.
Not only that, but you must take into consideration that the Ukrainian domestic league, where the majority of the international players are based, has been shut down. Despite Ukrainian manager Andriy Shevchenko being adamant that the encounter should go ahead, he has admitted this is provided he can put a team together.
Although every football fan will want Ukraine to be able to play their best team possible to provide a level playing field, with everything that’s going on now, it might be difficult for them to get a fully match fit squad, which think could show in the result if Wales were to play Ukraine.
However, you could argue that Ukraine, if they are able to play, will approach the game with extra motivation due to their geopolitical situation. Their determination could be too much for Wales, which may make The Dragons better off playing Scotland.
Overall, Scotland will be a more difficult game than Ukraine. Not only due to the squad that they have, but also the support they are able to bring. The Scots are known to be passionate about their football and they will most definitely bring a massive support over to Cardiff if they make it through.
Whoever advances will know they have a hard game on their hands as they travel down to Cardiff City Stadium, where Wales haven’t lost in 18 games. One thing is for sure, the Red Wall will be bouncing on the day
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]]>Spain followed up their 8-0 home win over Scotland with another 2-0 away win at Hampden Stadium, Glasgow to secure top spot in Group B and qualify for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand
On a dreich and drizzly evening, a record 7,804 crowd for a competitive women’s match in Scotland turned up at the national stadium in Glasgow to see if Scotland could somehow spring a surprise and break Spain’s impressive 100% record of five wins in a row, scoring 43 goals without reply.
Scotland took to the field wearing their new dark blue and yellow strip for the first time, following its launch in March. They faced a Spanish side wearing an untraditional light blue away strip brimming with confidence from their strong twenty-match unbeaten run.
Scotland didn’t seem phased by their 8-0 battering in Seville in November last year as they battled throughout the match picking up four yellow cards in the process. They got off to a promising start when they threatened as early as the first minute, taking the game to Spain.
However the optimism was short lived as Spain were awarded a penalty in the tenth minute following a trip by Nicola Docherty on the 2021 Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas. Spain’s captain Jennifer Hermoso coolly converted the penalty to give the visitors an early lead.
Spain thought they had doubled their lead in the 34th minute when Putellas headed in off the crossbar, but the effort was ruled out for offside. Similarly Scotland thought they had equalised in the 72nd minute when Martha Thomas broke free but the flag went up for offside long before the ball hit the back of the net.
Just five minutes later the contest was finally settled when Hermoso scored her’s and Spain’s second of the night after a well-worked move.
Scotland’s Spanish coach Martínez Losa reflected after the match on the ability of his team to compete better than they did in the reverse fixture a few months ago.
“The fact we’re disappointed today with a 2-0 loss means something. We improve more as we have time to work on preparing for our opponents and to make sure the girls understand what it means to compete at the highest levels.”
Losa also commented on the record-breaking crowd.
“We are looking to inspire girls, families and fans — not just girls — to follow us and feel proud of what we produce and to qualify for major tournaments.”
The result leaves Scotland battling it out with Ukraine and Hungary for second place in Group B, which would secure a playoff spot in October. Scotland currently lead Hungary by one point and will be guaranteed second spot if they win their final two matches against Ukraine (likely in June) and Faroe Islands away in September.
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]]>There are now 232 days until the opening game of the World Cup and we learned on Friday who would face who as the group stage draw took place in the Qatari capital.
Delegates from around the world flew in as former players such as Cafu, Tim Cahill and Ali Daei took part in the draw ceremony that saw 29 confirmed nations discover their fate while three play-off contenders also discovered what could potentially be ahead for them.
The draw threw up plenty of exciting and intriguing groups and while there probably is not a ‘group of death’ as such, almost every country will fancy their chances of having some sort of success in November.
Group A
Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
So we finally found out what the opening game will be and it is the hosts Qatar taking on Ecuador. It won’t look like a thriller on paper but it will give the debutants some belief that they can get off to a decent start.
African champions Senegal taking on the Netherlands looks like one of the group stage highlights and both will fancy their chances of reaching the knockout stages. A final game clash between Ecuador and Senegal could well decide qualification.
Group B
England, Iran, USA, Wales/Ukraine/Scotland
Well, this was certainly the group for lovers of narrative.
On paper, it appears to be quite a nice draw for England but without knowing who will come through the play-off in June, it is hard to draw too many conclusions.
The USA and England have played out some memorable World Cup games in the past while Iran famously saw off the States in 1998 for a first-ever World Cup victory.
The prospect however of a battle between two home nations on the biggest stage is mouth-watering and with it being the final group game, there could be a lot on the line.
Group C
Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
A nice group appeared for Lionel Messi on what will probably be his last shot at winning the tournament. Argentina will be hopeful of topping the group with none of the other three sides having much success in recent editions.
Mexico and Poland will know their opening clash will go a long way to who will advance while Saudi Arabia would appear unlikely to get anything in what is quite a daunting group for the Middle Eastern side.
Mexico’s quest for a fifth match at a World Cup would most likely see them up against France in the last 16 in what would be an enormously difficult encounter for the North Americans.
Group D
France, UAE/Australia/Peru, Denmark, Tunisia
Should Peru or Australia make it through the intercontinental play-off in June, Group D will see three-quarters of the participants in Group C from 2018 in the same group once more.
France came through that group en route to winning the tournament back then and Les Bleus and Denmark will be feeling confident of a repeat result four years on.
Tunisia will be looking to cause an upset somewhere and build on their victory over Panama in 2018.
Look out for the matchday two clash between France and Denmark where a Danish win would throw everyone’s knockout predictions up in the air and open up the draw. It always happens somewhere and that could be the game that does it.
Group E
Spain, Costa Rica/New Zealand, Germany, Japan
Spain against Germany on November 27th is the standout fixture of the group stage draw but it has the look of a clash that will decide first place in the group, rather than knock a giant out.
Both sides will be confident of seeing off Japan and whichever of Costa Rica or New Zealand come through in June.
Japan may seek inspiration from neighbours South Korea however, who knocked the Germans out in 2018.
Group F
Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Two of the semi-finalists from Russia in 2018 will come together in the group stages as Belgium and Croatia lock horns in Group F.
The pair will face off in the final group game and should either slip up in advance of that, we could well see one of the more fancied European sides going home.
Morocco impressed in 2018 without winning while Canada will face Belgium in their first World Cup match since 1986. They may just believe their fairytale run could continue into the knockout stages.
Group G
Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Another group that is almost a carbon copy from 2018 only this time Cameroon will take the place of Costa Rica.
Brazil came out on top on that occasion while Serbia and Switzerland played out a controversial clash that saw the Swiss come from behind to win 2-1 thanks to a late winner from Xherdan Shaqiri.
They will meet in the final group game which could essentially be a winner-takes-all clash.
Cameroon are not going to make up the numbers though and will make for dangerous opponents after their dramatic late win over Algeria to qualify.
Group H
Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
Uruguay will have the face up to the ghosts of World Cups past in Group H.
The South Americans knocked South Korea out in the last 16 in 2010 while they did the same to Portugal in Russia four years ago.
But the real battle for revenge will take place on matchday two when Ghana seek redemption after Luis Suarez and the handball controversy from the 2010 quarter-final.
This has the appearance of quite an open group and while Portugal will back themselves to win it, history has shown that they could just as easily finish bottom.
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Scotland and Wales are still technically in the World Cup draw. Scotland has not looked forward to the draw since 1998, and the wait has been even longer for the Welsh, who last qualified in 1958.
Scotland’s scheduled March 24th play-off with Ukraine was postponed due to the Russian invasion. Wales’s match with Austria continued. The Dragons progressed through but have to await the game winners between the beleaguered Black Sea nation and their Celtic friends.
This means that Scotland and Wales will be in the draw on April 1st, although the words used will be ‘winner of European play-off’. That term, in reality, means one of Scotland, Wales or Ukraine.
Their Pot 4 includes five known nations, Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia and Ghana, plus two other play-off winners.
But who might they draw from the other pots? What are Wales and Scotland’s best and worst draws?
Pot 1 includes the highest-ranked sides; Qatar (host nation), Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, England, Spain and Portugal.
Of those, Qatar are obviously the weakest and are a side going far beyond any previous meaningful matches. On ability and experience, they must surely be one of the sides the Celtic hopefuls would welcome.
Portugal would appear to be the weakest of the others, with Brazil, Belgium, and Argentina the countries to avoid. The elimination of European Champions Italy has weakened the very top of this draw. Portugal would generally have occupied Pot 2.
Wales, however, may welcome Belgium. They drew with them in Cardiff as recently as November 2021 and famously beat them 3-1 in the last EUROs.
Pot 2 looks, if anything, scarier than Pot 1. Mexico, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Uruguay, Switzerland, USA, and Croatia are there.
Mexico and the USA qualify with regularity through a very lopsided CONCACAF group, and neither has to be an especially good side. In this cycle, the USA may be even weaker than normal.
The Yanks may indeed be the team to draw. It’s fairly evident that Germany are the team to avoid, although the Netherlands and Uruguay look troublesome too. Switzerland and Denmark performed admirably in the EUROs, with the Swiss eliminating France and the Danes reaching the semi-final.
Scotland especially will want to avoid Croatia, who outplayed them at Hampden in the same tournament. Wales might want to avoid Denmark, who thumped them 4-0 last summer in EURO2020. The Danes also beat them twice in the Nations League.
However, they might welcome Mexico, who they beat in a friendly last year.
Pot 3 is a geographical mish-mash with nations from three continents represented, Africa, Asia and Europe. Senegal, IR Iran, Japan, Morocco, Serbia, Poland, Korea Republic and Tunisia have landed here.
Senegal are current African champions and, perhaps along with Serbia, look the sides to avoid. But South Korea have a habit of excelling at World Cup finals and looks like maybe, the toughest competition here. Tunisia and Iran may be considered the best.
Scotland’s last World Cup finals match was against Morocco in 1998, a disastrous 3-0 drubbing in St Etienne ensued. A few members of the Tartan Army have avoided watching the highlight of that game for 24 years and may well have to face the music.
Wales have never played an African side in a competitive fixture which would put them at a huge disadvantage against African champions Senegal. The Lions of Teranga faced France, Denmark and Sweden in 2002 and beat Poland in 2018.
Furthermore, Senegal have a litany of EPL players for whom Wales would be no exotic mystery, from Édouard Mendy to Sadio Mané.
With all that said, here are the best and worst draws for Scotland:
Best and worst draws for Scotland:
Best: Scotland, Qatar, USA, Tunisia
Worst: Scotland, Brazil, Germany, Morocco
Best and worst draws for Wales:
Best: Wales, Qatar, Mexico, Tunisia,
Worst: Wales, Brazil, Denmark, Senegal
Full pots:
- Pot 1: Qatar (host nation), Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, England, Spain, Portugal
- Pot 2: Mexico, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Uruguay, Switzerland, USA, Croatia
- Pot 3: Senegal, IR Iran, Japan, Morocco, Serbia, Poland, South Korea, Tunisia
- Pot 4: Cameroon, Canada, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, winner of intercontinental play-off 1, winner of intercontinental play-off 2, winner of the European play-off
The other two playoffs to decide Pot 4 will feature New Zealand who travel to Costa Rica on Monday, June 13. Australia will face the United Arab Emirates in Doha, with the winner of that clash meeting Peru.
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If they win, the losers of the Sweden v Czech Republic semi-final will be the opposition.
Details below from the FAW:
The Football Association of Wales is pleased to announce that in a show of support to our friends in Ukraine, Cymru will play an international challenge match on Tuesday, 29 March (KO 7.45pm) at Cardiff City Stadium to raise funds for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
Cymru’s opponent for the match will be determined depending on the outcome of the World Cup
play-off semi-final with Austria on 24 March.
Should Cymru win against Austria, they will play the losing team from the Path B semi-final between Sweden and Czech Republic. If Cymru fail to win against Austria, Tuesday’s opponents in Cardiff will be Scotland.
Tickets for the game go on sale to The Red Wall from 10:00am on Friday, 18 March and fans will be able to add an optional donation to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal when purchasing their ticket.
The Cymru Men’s National Team will be making a donation to the appeal and the DEC will also run a bucket collection at Cardiff City Stadium. Any profit made by the FAW from the staging of the match will also be donated.
18 million people are projected to become affected by the conflict with four million people expected to be displaced, leaving behind their jobs, belongings and loved ones. Donations made prior to and at the Cymru international match will help to provide food, water, shelter, healthcare and protection.
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The match will take place at Hampden Park in Glasgow and £10 from every ticket sold will go to support the UNICEF humanitarian response in Ukraine.
Scotland were due to host Ukraine on that date in a World Cup qualifier, but the match was postponed due to the deteriorating situation there.
Poland is a neighbouring country to Ukraine and has been magnificent in its existing humanitarian efforts to feed and house a million refugees trying to escape the Russian bombardment. Recent reports were beginning to suggest that the small Polish towns on the border were beginning to run out of resources.
Tickets will go on sale to Scotland Supporters Club members at 1pm on Tuesday, 15 March. They can purchase tickets from £5 for juniors and £20 for adults.
Sales will then be opened up to the general public on Thursday, 17 March, with junior prices for individuals from £5 and adult prices from £25.
Below is the full press release from the Scottish Football Association.
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Andy Robertson and Robert Lewandowski have thrown their support behind a fundraising friendly between Scotland and Poland at Hampden Park on Thursday, 24 March – with a £10 donation from each ticket sold supporting UNICEF’s humanitarian response in Ukraine.
The respective national team captains and UNICEF ambassadors are encouraging football fans to come together to fill Hampden and raise crucial funds to support UNICEF’s emergency appeal.
The UNICEF emergency appeal raises essential funds to support families and their children within Ukraine, and those that have been displaced to neighbouring countries, but ensuring child health and protection services are sustained and families have clean water and nutritious food.
The match was arranged following FIFA’s decision to postpone the FIFA World Cup Play-Off Semi-Final
against Ukraine due to the ongoing conflict, and the cancellation of Poland’s scheduled tie with Russia.
Steve Clarke will name his squad tomorrow following extensive talks between the Scottish FA and
Polish FA to give the hastily arranged friendly a wider purpose.
Tickets will go on sale at 1pm on Tuesday, 15 March – exclusively to Scotland Supporters Club
members – before going on general sale at 1pm on Thursday, 17 March.
For every ticket sold, £10 will be donated to UNICEF UK’s emergency appeal for Ukraine, and
supporters will have the opportunity to make an additional donation if they wish during the ticket
purchase process, with a special donate button on the web page directing to UNICEF UK’s appeal.
A sold-out Hampden would mobilise a significant six-figure contribution for UNICEF UK’s appeal for
Ukraine. Organisers will announce additional ways in which supporters can get behind the fundraising
in the build-up to the match.
Scotland captain Andy Robertson:
“As a father, the images of children in Ukraine has been heartbreaking to watch. I am a proud ambassador for UNICEF and when we were informed that the match against Ukraine would be postponed then working in partnership with Robert and the Polish squad to do our bit to help the situation was a no-brainer.
“We send our love and prayers to our fellow participants across Ukraine’s football community and
hope that the money raised by this match will help the tremendous efforts already made by UNICEF in Ukraine and in helping the refugee situation.”
Scottish FA Chief Executive Ian Maxwell:
“It goes without saying that our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine. All football-related matters pale into insignificance next to what the people of that country
are experiencing.
“Along with the counterparts at the Polish FA, we hope to use this friendly international as our chance to show solidarity with a country and its people, while raising as much money to help them as we can in the process.”
Scotland National Team Head Coach Steve Clarke: “We’ve seen wonderful examples of individuals and groups within Scottish football rally with their own contributionstowards the situation in recent weeks.
With the support of UNICEF, this match is a way for all Scottish football fans to unite in solidarity andsupport our friends in Ukraine.
“As many have already said, football is unimportant when you see the situation in Ukraine. I know that the Scotland supporters and the players will rally to show that the power of football can have a positive impact even during such desperate situations as the one faced in Ukraine at present.”
Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive at The UK Committee for UNICEF:
“The escalating conflict in Ukraine continues to pose an immediate threat to the lives and wellbeing of the country’s 7.5 million children.
The situation is deteriorating, with more families every day forced to leave their homes in search of
safety. That is why we are intensifying our action on the ground.“Being involved in this fundraising friendly allows us to continue our aid for those that need it most. In practical terms this means providing children and their families with as access to clean water
and nutritious food and making sure that child health and protection services are sustained”
Scotland Supporters Club members can purchase tickets from £5 for juniors and £20 for adult
members from 1pm on Tuesday, 15 March.
Sales will then be opened up to the general public on Thursday, 17 March, with junior prices for
individual matches from £5 and adult prices from £25.
Scottish FA confirm that they will boycott games against Russia at every level
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