By Johnny Orr

Scotland are in the hat for the Euro 2024 draw on the 2nd of December in Hamburg, Germany. But who can they come up against in the finals next summer?

Hosts Germany have automatically qualified, they have already been joined by eight other teams and Scotland are in good company. Elite footballing nations France, Belgium, Portugal and Spain have qualified, Turkey, Austria and Scotland are the surprise packages that have already secured their place, oh and England will be there too. There will be another twelve teams to qualify from the main qualifiers over the next week as we head into another international break with the top two teams in each group qualifying.

If teams fail to qualify they will still have one more chance through the Nations League. The top Twelve teams that have not made the cut will compete in march next year in a tournament style play-off for the three remaining places in the European Championships. These teams will be split into six semi-finals, then progressing to three finals and the winners will make it to Germany by the skin of their teeth.

Teams will be put into one of four pots for the draw, this will be decided on the results of the qualifying stages. If Scotland can beat Spain to the top spot in the group this week then they will be put into pot 1 for the draw with all other top teams in Europe. This will give Scotland the best possible chance to make it to the ever elusive knockout stages of the tournament next summer.

To get top spot Steve Clarke’s men will have to better the Spaniards’ results in the final two games of the qualifiers. Scotland undoubtedly have a harder task than Spain, a tough trip to Georgia on Thursday night followed by Erling Haaland’s Norway hoping to spoil the qualification party at Hampden on Sunday. Coming off the back of three straight defeats to England, Spain and France Scotland will have to bounce back to winning ways. La Roja head to Cyprus before hosting Georgia in their final game of the campaign, seemingly easy games for Spain as they eased to very comfortable victories in their previous games against the bottom two tams in the group. It would take a monumental feat for the Spaniards to drop points.

Scotland are not without injury problems. Captain Andy Robertson has been injured since a shoulder injury in his last Scotland match vs Spain, Kieran Tierney is still out, Brentford’s rising star Aaron Hickey is out, Scotland’s new No.1 Angus Gunn will not play in the final two games and striker Che Adams has been a late drop-out from the squad but his injury is still unknown.

The omission of these high calibre players will mean a make-shift Scotland squad will have to try and fight for top spot in the group but this does provide others with a chance to impress Steve Clark and stake their case for a spot on the plane to Germany. Uncapped Hellas Verona player Josh Doig has been brought into the squad and will have the chance to show Steve Clarke and the Scottish supporters what he can do. Celtic fringe player Anthony Ralston is also back in the squad and Hearts main man Lawrence Shankland has been brought in to replace Che Adams.

Shankland has scored 10 goals from 19 games this season for a struggling Hearts side, now is his chance to impress for the national team. Despite the side performing extremely well in this campaign the side lacks goals, with only twelve goals scored and the top scorer coming from midfield (Scott McTominay with six goals in six games) the national team lacks firepower up front and Shankland has been gifted a chance to cement his place in the squad.