Who can Scotland face in the Nations League play-offs? Possible opponents as draw looms

Scotland volition beryllium hopeless to debar suffering Nations League relegation arsenic they hole to observe their opponents for an all-important play-off necktie this week.

The Tartan Army’s hopes of retaining their presumption successful League A had appeared successful a superior jeopardy aft a hard debut run astatine the competition’s apical level, lone for a battling goalless gully against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal past period to beryllium followed by a invaluable triumph implicit 10-man Croatia that ended a dismal tally of 10 successive matches without a competitory triumph that included an insipid radical signifier exit from Euro 2024.

John McGinn’s precocious victor sent Scotland heading to Warsaw connected Monday nighttime knowing that they had to bushed Poland to debar confirmed relegation, with McGinn netting again aboriginal earlier Andy Robertson popped up with a melodramatic stoppage-time effort to pip their opponents to 3rd spot successful Group A1, condemn them to League B and unafraid a berth successful the relegation play-offs for themselves.

Steve Clarke’s broadside present participate the League A/B play-offs hoping to stay successful the top-flight and contradict a League B promotion-chaser a spot successful League A astatine their expense.

Alongside their chap third-place finishers successful League A successful Serbia, Hungary and struggling Belgium, Scotland volition beryllium seeded for Friday’s play-off draw taking spot astatine Uefa office successful Nyon, Switzerland from 11am GMT.

The seeded teams volition each play astatine location successful the 2nd fixtures of the two-legged ties, with the 4 radical runners-up from League B unseeded and each paired against a seeded team.

The winners volition each beryllium guaranteed a spot successful League A for the adjacent play of the Nations League, portion the losers volition beryllium successful League B.

Scotland could conscionable Greece, who famously bushed England astatine Wembley past period but mislaid 3-0 to the Three Lions successful Athens past week to extremity up finishing 2nd successful Group B2 connected extremity quality only.

Austria are different perchance unsafe opponent, with Ralf Rangnick’s squad having ended up arsenic runners-up to promoted Norway successful Group B3 aft a costly 1-1 gully with Slovenia successful their last game.

Turkey also amazingly lurk successful the gully having suffered a daze 3-1 nonaccomplishment to antecedently winless Montenegro successful their past outing successful Group B4, allowing Wales to leapfrog them and successful the process snatch automatic promotion to League A aft their thumping triumph implicit Iceland.

Scotland could besides travel up against Ukraine, for whom back-to-back draws against Czechia and Georgia proved captious arsenic they came 2nd successful Group B1 contempt a last triumph successful Albania.