Steve Clarke insists Andy Robertson 'did the right thing' by having a beer as Scotland boss comes to skipper's defence

Deep down he always hoped this game would go ahead.

But like many others, Steve Clarke assumed, in order for it to do so, first the situation on the ground in Ukraine would have to have been resolved.

That Oleksandr Petrakov and his players arrived in Glasgow on Monday afternoon, leaving the chaos and misery of war still raging behind them, has heightened all sorts of emotions as these two nations head towards Hampden for tonight’s World Cup eliminator.

That a list of news reporters from all around the globe – including CNN, Reuters and Al Jazeera have also applied for the press box tells its own story.

For Clarke and his players, this might be a once-in-a-generation shot at reaching the greatest stage of the lot. But for the visitors, an opportunity to show on the global stage the soul has not yet been ripped from their country, despite the murderous efforts of Vladimir Putin.

There are so many layers to this one football match the thought of it is enough to make the head spin and the heart cry all at once.

But somehow, Clarke has to keep his players focused on a prize that meant the world to them when this competition began, way back before the real world was turned on its axis by Putin’s war machine.

Yesterday morning was spent at Scotland’ s HQ on the outskirts of Edinburgh, as Clarke ran through final preparations for 90 minutes which could take him to Cardiff on Sunday and lead the country to within one last step of a first World Cup Finals in more than 24 years.

Asked how he can protect his players from the deafening background noise surrounding this encounter – Ukraine’s first competitive match since bloodshed and unimaginable carnage was unleashed upon its people – he took a second to compose his thoughts.