Scotland v Israel will see the National Stadium packed to its near 52000 capacity this weekend as Steve Clarke’s side sit within touching distance of a playoff berth for a spot at next year’s World Cup finals in Qatar – and thousands of Tartan Army members will be stuck at home after Hampden sold out for the first time since a qualifier against Slovakia in October 2017.
Steve Clarke looks on prior to the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between Scotland and Moldova(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Steve Clarke’s side sit second in their qualifying group with four games left, one point ahead of Israel going into the double-header against the Israelis and the Faroe Islands and have built up momentum after a difficult start to the campaign saw Clarke come in for criticism from fans and pundits alike.
Two wins from two over the next week would leave Scotland within two games of a playoff place by securing second behind runaway leaders Denmark.
As things stand Scotland would be one of the seeded teams in the semi-finals of the playoffs – should they qualify – with six of the ten teams seeded and two further playoff places awarded based on Nations League performance.
The six semi-final winners will then meet in the playoff finals for one of the three places up for grabs at World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
Where and when to watch Scotland v Israel:
Sky Sports Premier League coverage begins at 4pm with the game kicking off an hour later at 5pm.
Sky Sports customers can also live stream the game via the Sky Go app on a variety of devices including most smartphones and tablets as part of their subscription, while you can also watch the match via NOW TV without signing up to a contract.
Scotland squad to face Israel and Faroe Islands:
Goalkeepers: Craig Gordon (Hearts), Jon McLaughlin (Rangers), Liam Kelly (Motherwell).
Defenders: Stephen O’Donnell (Motherwell), Nathan Patterson (Rangers), Jack Hendry (Club Brugge), Grant Hanley (Norwich City), Scott McKenna (Nottingham Forest), Liam Cooper (Leeds United), Kieran Tierney (Arsenal), Andy Robertson (Liverpool).
Midfielders: Billy Gilmour (Norwich City, on loan from Chelsea), Kenny McLean (Norwich City), Callum McGregor (Celtic), Stuart Armstrong Stev(Southampton), David Turnbull (Celtic), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Lewis Ferguson (Aberdeen), Scott McTominay (Manchester United).
Strikers: Lyndon Dykes (Queens Park Rangers), Che Adams (Southampton), Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Ryan Fraser (Newcastle), Kevin Nisbet (Hibernian).
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