Steve Clarke will take charge of his 72nd Scotland game when Belarus visit Hampden Park on Sunday, breaking Craig Brown's long-standing record as the nation's longest-serving manager by matches. The milestone comes at a crucial moment, with Scotland in pole position to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after beating Greece 3-1 on Thursday.
Clarke acknowledged his pride in the achievement but insisted his focus remains firmly on World Cup qualification. "I'd be a bit daft if I wasn't proud because I'm the first guy to reach that amount of games," he said. "It's nice, but that's a little personal thing at the moment. It shouldn't be about me."
World Cup within reach
Scotland trail Denmark only on goal difference in Group C, with matches in Athens and at home to the Danes still to complete the section. According to the Daily Record, the World Cup qualification holds special significance for Clarke, who missed out on tournaments as a player in 1990 and 1998.
Clarke warned against complacency despite Belarus being hammered 6-0 by Denmark on Thursday. "If you want to qualify, these are the games you have to win," he said. "You have to give yourself a platform to play against the bigger nations."
The Scotland manager reflected on past failures against lower-ranked opponents during the nation's "barren years". "If you drop points to the teams ranked below you, it makes qualification very difficult," he said. "Maybe we messed up against opposition we felt we should have been beating."
Squad changes for Belarus clash
Lewis Ferguson and Ryan Christie will miss the match through suspension, with Connor Barron and Josh Mulligan called up as replacements. The Scotsman reports that Aaron Hickey's injury is less serious than initially feared after his 22-month previous absence.
Clarke expects Belarus to be well-organised despite their heavy defeat to Denmark. The Scotsman also reports that Belarus are forced to play their home matches in Hungary due to FIFA sanctions.
"They'll come here, they'll be organised, they'll be difficult to break down and until you break them down it's a long night," Clarke said. "The crowd need to back the players, the players need to give the crowd something to shout about and that's what we'll try and achieve."
Sources used: "Guardian", "Daily Record", "Scotsman" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
