Scotland finish off European Championship qualifying Group I with a double header against Cyprus and Kazakhstan.
Although the Dark Blues can’t reach next year’s tournament from this group, the games are still important.
Scotland need to deliver two good performances and two good results.
It’s a long break before the national team’s next fixtures, which are the vital UEFA Nations League play-offs in March.
This is the last chance Steve Clarke has to work with the players ahead of those crunch games.
Good performances and results are needed to build the players’ confidence ahead of the play-offs and also to show Clarke that the work he is doing is taking Scotland in the right direction.
The Tartan Army also need to be given some hope ahead of the play-offs.
The Scots have a great opportunity to end the 21-year wait to reach a major tournament.
They have to win two one-off games and this chance needs to be grasped.
If the national team can reach the Euros through the play-offs there’s the potential to play group games at Hampden, which would be great occasions.
The Nations League play-offs provide the best chance Scotland have had since 1998 to qualify for a tournament.
But Clarke needs to see signs in this double header that the work he’s doing will bear fruit.
This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.
