Anyone’s game in Group F as Clarke eyes more glory

Fresh off the back of their memorable playoff encounter in Serbia, last week’s World Cup qualifying draw has raised hope of a first appearance at the global party since 1998.

David Marshall’s heroics in Belgrade sparked jubilation among Scotland supporters and while they of all fans will know not to get carried away, a very open qualifying group has left them daring to dream once more. Avoiding a big gun was key even if Denmark will still be favourites to progress.

The group lacks a traditional minnow in the mould of San Marino or Andorra and is set up nicely to be a fight until the very last game. Let’s take a closer look at what’s in store for Steve Clarke and his team.

Denmark

To many who don’t follow the international game that closely it may have seemed strange to see Denmark in pot one. They are former European champions but are not known to be in the same circles as France, Italy and Germany.

Their record over the past few years speaks for itself though. In terms of the World Cup and European Championship, the Danes have not lost a game in 90 minutes since October 2016. They only missed out on a Quarter-final place in 2018 by virtue of a penalty shootout loss to Croatia.

The squad has plenty of experience in Kasper Schmeichel, Simon Kjaer and Daniel Wass while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has stepped up massively for Tottenham this season and is in top form.

It can’t be understated though just how much of a talismanic figure Christian Eriksen is for Kasper Hjulmund’s side. The Inter midfielder has 36 goals for his country and has averaged one goal, every two games in World Cup qualifying. He remains the main man for Denmark despite his struggles in Milan presently.

Austria

Two appearances at the European Championships and a third to come aside, Austria have also failed to reach a World Cup since 1998. It is a surprising stat when you consider some of the talent that has emerged in recent years but thus far when it comes to the crunch they have failed to deliver.

The Austrians were in a very similar qualifying group to this for the 2018 World Cup but ended up finishing fourth behind Serbia, Republic of Ireland and Wales.

Franco Foda’s men did qualify for Euro 2020 however and will be eyeing the knockout stage after a reasonable draw. They possess a solid squad led by Bayern Munich’s David Alaba and will be hoping he can transfer that winning mentality across to his team-mates. Marcel Sabitzer and Xaver Schlager also compete in what is an excellent midfield and one they will need to be on top form to reach Qatar.

Israel

At this point it feels as if they need no introduction given the frequency with which Scotland and Israel have played over the past few years. After their meetings in this group they will have met seven times in three years. Both squads should know each other inside out and it should make for two close encounters yet again.

The Israeli’s have only once previously reached a World Cup and that was back in 1970. They have had a few near misses since then but have found qualifying groups tough in recent years, finishing well off the pace in 2016 and 2018.

Celtic players Hatem Elhamed and Nir Bitton will be very familiar to Scotland fans while Eran Zahavi is the obvious danger man having scored 11 goals in Euro 2020 qualification.

Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands have come a long way from the doldrums of 2007 when they sat in a dismal 197th in the Fifa world rankings. These days they are at a much more respectable 107th and their qualification record has also improved in recent years.

They recently completed an unbeaten Nations League campaign which ended in promotion and will see them play in the same division as the likes of Turkey, Slovakia and Northern Ireland in the next campaign.

Klaemint Andrasson Olsen scored four times in the last year for the Faroes and is prolific at club level so he is one to look out for. If Scotland are professional about it then this should be six points on the board but cannot afford to be complacent as the Islanders will pounce on any slip ups.

Moldova

May 2014 was the last time Moldova defeated a team other than Andorra or San Marino. That is a remarkable statistic and very worrying for fans who have seen their country drop to 177th in the world rankings. They face a playoff to avoid relegation the lowest level of the Nations League and actually managed to finish below Andorra in Euro 2020 qualification.

Moldova have scored five goals in the previous two years and Scotland will be kicking themselves if they leave anything behind from those two games

The schedule is one of the most understated factors in a qualifying group and Scotland have been given a good chance to get off to a flying start.

They open with a home game against Austria in what will be a crunch tie followed by a trip to Israel and another home game, this time against the Faroes. If they could manage seven points from that start they would be delighted. September will be a crucial month with away games against Austria and Denmark.

Scotland finish off with a home game against Denmark and would love to be in a position to qualify in front of their own supporters. If they perform as they have done in the Euro campaign, they have every chance.

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