Avoid a heavy defeat against Brazil and Steve Clarke will break new ground. Dawson Walker, Willie Ormond, Ally MacLeod, Jock Stein, Alex Ferguson, Andy Roxburgh and Craig Brown all failed to lead Scotland’s national football team to the second stage of a World Cup finals. On the cusp of history, appreciation for Clarke’s efforts tends to be granted through gritted teeth, if at all.
After two rounds of fixtures in Group C the Scots stand on three points and a goal difference of zero. A point against the five-time World champions will remove any doubt over their fate by guaranteeing a place in the last 32 for the first time. Lose and the squad return to their training base in North Carolina and an anxious wait to learn if they have done enough to be one of the eight best placed third place teams from the 12 groups.
