SOTLAND’S World Cup play-off draw is, on balance, a good one. While European Championship quarter-finalists Austria are undoubtedly going to be tough first-round opponents on October 6, there is no travel involved for either that tie nor the potential follow-up against the Republic of Ireland five days later.
Pedro Martinez Losa and his players will therefore have uninterrupted preparation time for what hopefully will be a double-header at Hampden. Given that a record 18,555 turned up for the friendly against Jamaica prior to the 2019 World Cup, even bigger numbers can surely be expected for a game, or games, that could propel Scotland to the 2023 finals.
