Which Scotland players will miss World Cup play-off semi-final if they are booked against Denmark?

Several Scotland players are walking a suspension tightrope in tonight’s final World Cup qualification group match against Denmark at Hampden Park.
John McGinn is one of seven Scotland players walking a suspension tightrope against Denmark tonight. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)John McGinn is one of seven Scotland players walking a suspension tightrope against Denmark tonight. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
John McGinn is one of seven Scotland players walking a suspension tightrope against Denmark tonight. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

With a play-off place already secured, Scotland require a win over the Danes to secure seeded status as one of the six best-placed group runners-up, meaning their first play-off fixture in March next year would take place at Hampden against an unseeded side.

Scotland will be without Nathan Patterson – the scorer of the opening goal in Friday’s 2-0 win over Moldova which sealed Scotland’s play-off place – after the Rangers youngster picked up his second booking of the campaign.

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Stephen O’Donnell, his likely replacement, has already picked up one booking in the campaign and is one away from a suspension, as are seven others.

Steve Clarke faces a decision about whether to risk losing several players for the first play-off game by fielding them against the group winners. Andy Robertson, John McGinn, Billy Gilmour, Che Adams, Jack Hendry and Kevin Nisbet join O’Donnell in sitting a booking away from a suspension.

Scott McTominay would have been in the same boat but he has been ruled out of tonight’s clash due to a throat infection.

With much still riding on the sold-out Hampden fixture, Clarke has admitted he is in an “almost impossible” situation and has called for the 12 nations involved in the play-offs to agree to wipe any suspensions that are incurred as a result of second bookings ahead of the semi-final draw which takes place on November 26.

“If all the teams that are involved in the play-offs could have a little head to head and decide .. but they would have to do it very quickly,” said Clarke.

“Decisions at its level are very rarely made quickly. It would have to be done before the draw. That doesn’t leave them much time. At this level, trying to get everybody to sit down and come to some kind of a resolution doesn’t often happen in such a short space of time.

“If it happened it would be good for all the countries involved. It’s something which could possibly be addressed but that’s more a conversation for the guys above me and obviously UEFA and FIFA would have to come together and find a solution.

“It’s a UEFA qualifying process within a FIFA competition so FIFA set the rules. We’ll just deal with it. The boys know.

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“They’ve all played top level football. You know you run a risk if you go into a Champions League game (on a booking) and if you get a card you miss the next game. You have to learn how to play a game with a yellow card hanging over your head. Someone told me that Sweden have something like 16. So we’re not the worst.

“I’ve got a list of most of the countries and they are all up there … seven, eight, nine bookings. It’s just the way it is. If you get a reasonably sensible referee … everybody understands it.”

Spanish referee Alejandro Hernandez has been appointed for tonight’s game.

He has shown 18 yellow cards in his last two La Liga games, although only two in his last international – England v Hungary last month.

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