Scotland v Croatia: Why next five days are key to World Cup hopes

The late Craig Brown was as dedicated as he was meticulous as Scotland manager.

There was always a match to prepare for, but Brown was studious when it came to the mid-to-long term prospects of the national team.

Seeding for future tournaments was never far from his mind when it came to choosing friendly opposition and attempting to boost the team’s ranking whenever possible.

In September 2023, Scotland defeated Cyprus in Euro 2024 qualifying to effectively seal a place at the finals in Germany. They have only won once since and not at all competitively.

With a Nations League promotion secured the year before and a major tournament to prepare for, the decision was taken to take on friendlies, generally, against top-ranked nations.

There followed punishing defeats by England, France and the Netherlands, with competitive losses to Spain and the Euro 2024 humbling at the hands of the hosts on the opening night in Munich.

Failing to get the better of Georgia, an Erling Haaland-less Norway in their final Euro qualifiers, and Northern Ireland and Finland in friendlies did not help the cause as Scotland struggled to regain the composure they had previously showed in spades.