'Hampden hoping for all thriller and no killer in Greece showdown'

World Cup qualifying, Group C: Scotland v Greece

Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Thursday, 9 October Kick-off: 19:45 BST

Coverage: Watch connected BBC Scotland, perceive connected BBC Radio Scotland & BBC Sounds, travel unrecorded text, audio & video sum connected nan BBC Sport website & app.

Hampden Park has history but it's difficult to opportunity it's ever had bosom and psyche erstwhile Scotland play.

The thunderous exceptions, though, will unrecorded agelong successful nan representation - nan 2-0 triumph complete Spain successful March 2023 - Rodri's tears and each of that. And nan lucifer successful nan monsoon against Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's Georgia - a Scott McTominay-inspired triumph - a fewer months later.

A stadium unloved by many, it still has nan capacity to stone connected its champion nights - and Scotland request different 1 of those connected Thursday erstwhile Greece are successful municipality looking to rescue their ain bid for a World Cup spot while trying to harm their hosts'.

Steve Clarke has had galore lives arsenic nan nation's leader, galore ups and downs, galore reasons for group wanting to saint him and galore different reasons for group wanting to drawstring him up.

We're backmost astatine nan beatification shape astatine nan infinitesimal - aliases will beryllium if his squad tin hit Greece, past Belarus astatine Hampden connected Sunday, and travel it up pinch capable points adjacent period successful Greece and astatine location to Denmark to return Scotland done to nan World Cup arsenic group winners.

In nan Hall of Fame astatine nan nationalist stadium, he'll person a wall to himself if that happens. A statue retired front, perhaps.

Certainly a spot successful history fixed that Scotland person not qualified for a men's World Cup since earlier nan invention of nan telephone. Or thing for illustration that.

Scottish hopes are rising, which usually puts everyone connected tenterhooks. Optimism is usually accompanied by scepticism astatine times for illustration this.

The euphoria of qualifying for Euro 2020 was followed by a winless grind erstwhile nan tourney came around. The awesome push for nan past World Cup only for Ukraine to hammer Scotland successful nan play-off. The undiluted euphoria of making Euro 2024 and past nan grisly non-performances successful Germany.

The nationalist psyche is analyzable erstwhile things are going well. Clarke and his players successful nan United States, Canada aliases Mexico? You could understand if nan Tartan Army viewed it arsenic excessively bully to beryllium true.

Fatalism has been their friend connected occasion. As acold arsenic qualifying for men's World Cups go, be aware has served Scotland fans good this past 27 years.

They've been excluded, chemoreceptor pressed against nan window, for six consecutive World Cups. Sixty-one different countries person played successful a World Cup crippled since nan Scots past did it. Togo and Trinidad & Tobago, North Korea and New Zealand, Angola and Iran. And Panama, for goodness sake.

Making back-to-back Euros was awesome - nan results erstwhile there, not truthful awesome - but World Cup campaigns person brought thing but disappointment.

There was nary societal media erstwhile Scotland were past astatine nan apical table, nary integer cameras, nary wifi for nan masses, nary Scottish parliament astatine Holyrood.

Since Scotland and Brazil opened nan tourney successful June 1998, there's been 7 Scottish First Ministers, 8 UK Prime Ministers and 9 Scotland shot managers.

As promising arsenic things look for Clarke's squad correct now, not galore supporters will beryllium letting their defender down conscionable yet.

They'll beryllium reasoning astir Greece landing a superior blow, conscionable arsenic they did successful March. A Nations League crippled that was expected to service up a capacity befitting nan recently-deceased Denis Law turned into a Greek rout; 3-0 going connected plentifulness more.

John McGinn called that Scotland show "embarrassing" and it was. By turns, nan Greek players utilized nan aforesaid benignant of connection erstwhile describing their ain 3-0 location conclusion by Denmark successful nan past world window.

For a broadside that had put 3 connected Scotland, 4 connected Slovakia, 4 connected Bulgaria and 5 connected Belarus successful their games starring up to Denmark, it was a daze to nan system.

With their younker and people they were being described arsenic 1 of nan emerging forces of European shot only to clang and pain successful their ain spot against nan Danes.

What to make of them now? A young squad that's possibly not arsenic devastating arsenic Scotland made them look past spring? Or a formidable outfit that conscionable had an disconnected night? Clarke being Clarke, he'll presume nan latter.

Even if Scotland get six points from six successful nan coming days, there's a travel to Athens adjacent period to fret astir and past nan presence of nan Danes days later.

Scotland taking nan nonstop route, aliases immoderate route, to nan World Cup? There are reasons to judge but besides reasons to springiness yourself a slap for believing.

The Tartan Army is stepping nan affectional tightrope betwixt dream and despair correct now, some of them lived experiences erstwhile pursuing nan squad crossed Europe successful immense numbers, a travelling service pinch bonzer resilience.

"Hope, successful reality, is nan worst of each evils because it prolongs nan torments of man," said nan German philosopher Frederick Nietzsche.

All in installments to Nietzsche, but Scotland fans could constitute nan book connected that.

Revisiting Hampden successful March erstwhile nan Greeks ran amok, definite things tin beryllium noted. Scotland didn't person Aaron Hickey aliases Ben Gannon Doak that night, 2 players who tin make a difference.

Clarke besides accepted that, having beaten Greece 1-0 3 days earlier, he should person refreshed his squad much than he did. That won't beryllium a facet this time.

Konstantinos Karetsas, nan teen wonder, was exceptional astatine Hampden but location are doubts coming from Greece astir his fittingness for Thursday. There's talk astir an unwellness that mightiness norm him out. If true, that's akin to Scotland losing McTominay, McGinn aliases Gannon Doak.

Clarke will attraction connected nan crippled successful beforehand of his look but 2 location wins successful nan coming days would put Scotland successful a beardown position. There's nary avoiding that. And truthful nan enticement is to beryllium wistful and dreamy astatine nan aforesaid time.

James McFadden and Barry Ferguson ne'er sewage to play successful a World Cup. Neither did Callum McGregor and Scott Brown, Darren Fletcher and Kenny Miller.

The chance is still location for existent players who person fixed truthful overmuch - Andy Robertson, who has won nan biggest trophies pinch Liverpool; Scott McTominay, who is nan reigning subordinate of nan twelvemonth successful Italy; John McGinn, who has been a revered fig for years for nine and country; Craig Gordon, who astatine nan property of 42 and pinch a assemblage rebuilt much times than nan Six Million Dollar Man, is still driven, astir apt successful ample part, by nan thought of making a World Cup.

That roaring ambition won't beryllium fulfilled connected Thursday moreover if nan Greeks are beaten, but it could suffer a seismic deed if things spell wrong. A imaginable thriller - and slayer - successful 1 momentous package. Scary, but intoxicating.