Scotland Seeks Historic World Cup Return with Denmark Victory
Steve Clarke, Scotland's manager, is urging his team to "anticipate success" and drive them towards a historic return to the FIFA World Cup. The Tartan Army will host Denmark at Hampden Park in their final qualifying match, where a win would guarantee automatic qualification for next summer's tournament.
Scotland's winning run in Group C ended with a defeat away to Greece on Saturday night, but Clarke believes his team can capitalize on Denmark's surprise draw against Belarus, which kept Scotland's hopes of automatic qualification alive. The Danes' victory has given Clarke the confidence that Scotland can secure their place in North America next summer.
"We need positive backing," Clarke said. "One of my favorite sayings for the players is 'play with the anticipation of success and not the fear of failure'. I'm going to ask the Hampden crowd to do that on Tuesday night."
The Scotland manager also emphasized the importance of fan support, stating that he believes fans can inspire each other. The team has struggled in their previous home games, being booed by some fans at half-time against Greece and outplayed for about an hour before triumphing 3-1.
Clarke is confident that his team can do something special with the help of a full Hampden crowd. "I think we can inspire each other," he said. "The team can inspire the fans, and the fans can inspire the team."
A place in March's play-offs is already secured for Scotland, but automatic qualification is the ultimate prize for the Tartan Army. The 12 group winners qualify directly to the World Cup, with the remaining four berths decided by play-offs involving the 12 group runners-up.
Scotland has a chance to write history next Tuesday when they host Denmark in their final qualifying match. If they win, they will seal their spot in North America next summer and make Scotland's long-awaited return to the World Cup a reality.
Steve Clarke, Scotland's manager, is urging his team to "anticipate success" and drive them towards a historic return to the FIFA World Cup. The Tartan Army will host Denmark at Hampden Park in their final qualifying match, where a win would guarantee automatic qualification for next summer's tournament.
Scotland's winning run in Group C ended with a defeat away to Greece on Saturday night, but Clarke believes his team can capitalize on Denmark's surprise draw against Belarus, which kept Scotland's hopes of automatic qualification alive. The Danes' victory has given Clarke the confidence that Scotland can secure their place in North America next summer.
"We need positive backing," Clarke said. "One of my favorite sayings for the players is 'play with the anticipation of success and not the fear of failure'. I'm going to ask the Hampden crowd to do that on Tuesday night."
The Scotland manager also emphasized the importance of fan support, stating that he believes fans can inspire each other. The team has struggled in their previous home games, being booed by some fans at half-time against Greece and outplayed for about an hour before triumphing 3-1.
Clarke is confident that his team can do something special with the help of a full Hampden crowd. "I think we can inspire each other," he said. "The team can inspire the fans, and the fans can inspire the team."
A place in March's play-offs is already secured for Scotland, but automatic qualification is the ultimate prize for the Tartan Army. The 12 group winners qualify directly to the World Cup, with the remaining four berths decided by play-offs involving the 12 group runners-up.
Scotland has a chance to write history next Tuesday when they host Denmark in their final qualifying match. If they win, they will seal their spot in North America next summer and make Scotland's long-awaited return to the World Cup a reality.