The key talking points ahead of Scotland and Ukraine’s World Cup play-off semi

Scotland host Ukraine in a World Cup play-off semi-final clash on Wednesday, with the winner earning a crack at Wales in the final in Cardiff on Sunday.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the talking points ahead of what promises to be an emotional evening at Hampden.

The eyes of the world will be on Hampden as Ukraine play their first competitive match since their territory was invaded by Russia three months ago. This play-off was rescheduled from its initial March date due to the impact of the war, but now Oleksandr Petrakov and his players are aiming to give their embattled nation a lift by trying to qualify for the World Cup amid the most brutal backdrop imaginable. There will be a groundswell of support for the visiting side from the rest of the world for obvious reasons, while even Scotland great Graeme Souness claims he would like to see Ukraine defeat his own nation. It remains to be seen if the sense of patriotic pride the Ukrainians will be fuelled by at Hampden will be enough to override the fact they have been unable to play a proper international fixture together for more than six months.

Both sides go into the match on the back of unbeaten runs. Ukraine finished 2021 with five draws and two victories from their seven matches after losing to England in the quarter-finals of last summer’s European Championship, although they have been denied the chance to build any momentum under Petrakov in the early part of 2022 because of the war. Scotland, by contrast, had a couple of friendlies in March – against Poland and Austria – in which they were able to extend their undefeated sequence to eight successive matches since they last lost to Denmark at the start of September. Morale is high in Steve Clarke’s squad.

Kier