Why Scotland vs Denmark World Cup qualifier is Do or Die For Steve Clarke

Steve Clarke takes Scotland into a winner takes all World Cup qualifier with Denmark on Tuesday.

But it could be his final match in charge of the national side if things do not quite go the Scots’ way.

Scotland have made a real fist of their qualifying campaign this year and despite not being at their best have picked up three wins and a draw from their five fixtures.

Wins over Greece and Belarus followed a goalless draw with the Danes on matchday one.

Defeat to the Greeks on Saturday in Piraeus, 3-2, prevented Scotland from topping Group C with this week’s opponents Denmark only managing a surprise 2-2 draw with the Belarusians.

It means a straight shootout between the two nations at Hampden for automatic qualification with Scots on 10 points and Denmark ever so slightly ahead on 11.

Not many fans would have suspected the outcome of the campaign thus far to go as it has and for Scotland to still be in with a shout at this late stage is as uncommon as it is exciting.

But Clarke, one feels, must get everything right on a difficult evening where all the pressure will be on the former Liverpool assistant and Kilmarnock manager.

Why is that exactly? FootballBlog had a closer look at Clarke’s record as Scotland boss and highlighted results as well as reaction to big moments from the Tartan Army on the coach’s tenure…

Steve Clarke Scotland record

Clarke has had a good run as Scotland manager with six years of experience under his belt on that stage.

The 62-year-old has managed 73 matches as the national team head coach but is yet to taste action at a World Cup.

As mentioned previously, it has been 27 years since Scotland’s last attempts at a World Cup tournament when they squared off against eventual finalists Brazil, Morocco and Norway.

This would be a momentous occasion for Clarke who has won 34 games from the 73. That is a winning percentage of just over 46 percent with 14 draws (19 percent) and 25 defeats (34 percent) in that same time period.

The Scots had actually not qualified for ANY major tournament since 1998 before Clarke took over and the experienced coach guided them to two competitions.

They played in two European Championships – in 2020 and 2024 – but failed to deliver a victory at either competition.

That even included a game at Hampden where they were beaten by Czechia thanks to goals from Patrik Schick including an effort from inside his own half.

Tuesday’s qualifier with Denmark seems even bigger than ever and Clarke will have to do the business to finally earn a crack at a World Cup next year.

Scotland World Cup history

It has been a miserable recent time for Scotland where World Cups are concerned.

We have already been over the recent attempts but it wasn’t always that way.

Scotland previously qualified often for the tournament and have given a decent account of themselves across history.

Before France 98, the country had struggled to make the previous competition in 1994.

Before that, though, they had qualified for the last five in a row in 1990, 1986, 1982, 1978 and 1974.

They have never made it through the group stages.

What Steve Clarke has said about Scotland vs Denmark

Clarke is adamant his stars have the opportunity of a lifetime on Tuesday when Denmark make the trip to Glasgow.

The Danes have not been all conquering in this campaign either and their result against Belarus on Saturday – at home – will give the home nation the feeling that they can do the business in front of a packed out crowd in Mount Florida.

Clarke wants the Hampden roar to turn the stadium into a fortress and he has urged the Army to get behind his boys for a shot at glory.

He said: “We’re going to need backing from the first minute at Hampden. We need positive backing.

“One of my favourite sayings for the players is, ‘Play with the anticipation of success and not the fear of failure,’.

“I’m going to ask the Hampden crowd to do that on Tuesday night.

“We need them to be with us from the first minute and – in the difficult moments in the game – we’re going to need them to be especially with us. Because that’s what this group of players deserve.

“And if we get that I’m pretty sure we can do something special. I think we can inspire each other. The team can inspire the fans and the fans can inspire the team. We’ll obviously be up against a very good Denmark side even if they didn’t manage to win against Belarus.

“So it should be another good spectacle for everybody, and hopefully the right result this time.”

Clarke’s Scotland Last Dance

With all due respect to Clarke, he has at times been accused of showing too much loyalty to his squads over alternatives.

Some players have perhaps been more deserving of game time for their country over stars Clarke has relied on in previous campaigns.

His tactics have also been questioned at times and he has been urged to take more risks, gamble more and attempt to have his players playing on the front foot more often.

That does not necessarily fit Clarke’s managerial stance and has led to some supporters calling for the Scottish Football Association to freshen up the dugout in an effort to improve and win more points in both qualification and the much sought after victory at a major tournament that has alluded them for so long.

Should Clarke fail to deliver three points against the Danes and thus see automatic qualification slip through his grasp again, it could finally be time up.

The manager may know that himself, that it could be time for a new boss to take the reins.

Win, though, and Clarke will have earned himself a chance to manage at a World Cup and he’ll be immortal with the Scotland fanbase even if it is time up after that.