WCQ Group A Live Streaming: Scotland and Wales in final charge for third place
Scotland seen as 21/10 underdogs to beat Croatia as they join Wales in a fight with Serbia to see who will claim 3rd place in Group .
With qualification matters having already been settled in Group A, the last remaining matter is to see which side will finish 3rd in the table with both Scotland and Wales in contention.
To stand any chance of getting 3rd, Scotland will need to pick up a win at Hampden Park against a Croatia side who saw their automatic qualification hopes slashed by Belgium on Friday night.
Scotland currently sits in 5th in the group 3 points behind Serbia in 3rd so the Scots have to win to stand any chance of advancing up the standings.
Gordon Strachan faces several problems up front having lost Wigan midfielder Shaun Maloney and Blackburn Rovers striker Jordan Rhodes to injury before the international break.
It means that Steven Naismith is likely to be the main striker on Tuesday night meanwhile inexperienced duo Chris Burke and Ikechi Anya could also feature on the wings.
After a tough fight with eventual winners Belgium over the past year, Croatia have had to settle for a play-off spot following a 1-0 loss in Zagreb on Friday night.
With nothing to play for in the group, the Croats are expected to switch around their side to give some of their more forgotten names a chance to shine.
This means that former Arsenal striker Eduardo could feature up front instead of Mario Mandzukic as could misfiring Everton striker Niktia Jelavic.
Since Friday’s result, several Croatian players have also returned to their domestic clubs with the likes of Ivan Rakitic and Sime Vrsaljko all returning from international duty.
Wales will have a much tougher time of things as they have to travel to Brussels to face in-form Belgium who will be keen to celebrate their qualification with a win on home soil.
With Wales also needing a win to have any chance of taking 3rd, Chris Coleman’s side will hope that the side can produce the same performance that helped them pick up a 1-0 win over Macedonia on Friday.
It’s likely that Wales will have an unchanged side on Tuesday but the main focus will shift to Craig Bellamy who will be playing his last game for his country before retiring from international football.
Belgium will be looking to spoil the party with their own celebrations and they can look to well established Premier League stars such as Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku to help keep Wales on the back foot all night long.
It’s going to be difficult for Wales and Scotland to close down Serbia but should the Serbs slip up against Macedonia, then there is definitely room for either of the home nations to get a much needed confidence boost heading into 2014.
