Scotland v Ukraine: Message is clear - 'you are too old and don’t have any military skills, instead you better bring us to the World Cup'

Standing between them and a play-off final against Wales is a nation currently embroiled in a fight for its very survival and all the human suffering that entails as Ukraine battles to withstand the ongoing Russian invasion.

Against that backdrop, a football match, regardless of what is at stake, is put firmly in perspective.

The outpouring of sympathy for the Ukrainian people will extend to the majority of the world supporting them in their cause to reach the tournament in Qatar, including some Scots it seems.

Former Scotland captain, Graeme Souness, has admitted that he cannot bring himself to cheer on the side that he represented at three World Cups due to the situation in Ukraine. And he is not alone.

For some, football and war cannot be easily separated and the idea of inflicting what would be a painful defeat on the Ukrainian people while rockets rain down on their homeland does not sit right.

But the notion that the Ukrainian side would even want a free pass to the tournament, that they would rather not be asked to compete, or that they won't be ready to play, appears wide of the mark.

The 21 home-based squad members, mainly from Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv, have been based at a training camp in Brdo, Slovenia since the start of May having been granted special dispensation to leave the country, with the blessing of president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine's head coach Oleksandr Petrakov. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

They have played a number of bounce matches, beating Borussia Moenchengladbach and Empoli before drawing with Rijeka of Croatia, in an attempt to make up for the lack of competitive football in the three months since the suspension of the Ukrainian domestic league.

European-based players such as Benfica's Roman Yaremchuk, Everton left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko and Manchester City midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko joined the squad this week following the conclusion of their domestic seasons, with Real Madrid back-up goalkeeper Andriy Lunin the last to arrive following the Champions League final.

They are giving themselves every chance with the best preparation possible in the circumstances, and it's clear that the Ukrainian people want their team to be competing for their World Cup spot.

A point emphasised by Oleksandr Petrakov, the 64-year-old head coach, who explained what happened when he attempted to enlist with Ukraine's army as the bombs started to fall around his home in Kyiv on February 24.

Ukrainian players pose prior the recent friendly with HNK Rijeka in Croatia. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

“It would be wrong if I ran from my city where I was born,” he told TIME magazine. “But they said ‘You are too old and don’t have any military skills. Instead, you better bring us to the World Cup.'"

While their soldiers continue to fight, Ukrainians have given their footballers a duty to raise the nation's spirit and reassert their national identity on the football field.

“It’s a very big responsibility,” Petrakov added. “I feel it more as the [Scotland] game approaches. Many of our fans are soldiers in the Ukrainian army.

“There will be an incredible atmosphere in Hampden Park. After missiles, rockets, and bombs, we don’t fear anything.”

Few will begrudge Ukraine their place at the World Cup, but like Scotland, they will have to earn it.

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