
IT was encouraging to hear Pedro Martinez Losa say on Wednesday that Scotland can beat any of the other nations currently in the running to contest October's World Cup play-offs.
The previous night Ukraine beat Hungary 2-0 to confirm the near-certainty of Scotland being among the nine group runners-up. The other countries sitting second are Belgium, Switzerland, Iceland and Austria – all higher in the standings than Scotland – followed by Serbia, Republic of Ireland, Wales and Bosnia.