Scotland v Moldova: 'Pivotal, must-win' moment for World Cup hopes - Steve Clarke

John McGinn (left) is one of four players back to bolster the Scotland squad after defeat in Denmark

Steve Clarke says his Scotland players realise they are approaching a "pivotal" and "must-win" moment in their World Cup qualifying campaign.

Bottom side Moldova visit Hampden on Saturday, with the Scots travelling to face third-top Austria on Tuesday at the halfway point of fixtures.

"We can't think too much about the Austria game - we have to win against Moldova," said head coach Clarke.

"Nobody's shying away from that. We need points that keep us in contention towards the end of the group stage so that we're always fighting and, come October-November, we're in the mix for qualification. We still have that in front of us."

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Scotland have gone four games without victory, scoring just once, but Clarke can see the tide turning.

"We'll be better," he says. "The lads have been good in training and there's a little edge to them - I can feel it already.

"They know they are going into a pivotal moment in the group."

Denmark are now seven points clear of Scotland at the summit - and five ahead of Israel and Austria - but Clarke insists he had not gone into the campaign content to settle for second behind the top seeds.

"Obviously, after the last result, it's going to be more difficult to be first," he said. "Is second still attainable? Very much so.

"We can definitely get wins in the next two games. Whether we need them or not will be determined by how the other games pan out."

Moldova have one point from their opening four qualifiers and Saturday's 2-0 defeat at home to Austria means they have won once in 22 outings, but Clarke still expects the visitors to make it "difficult" for the Scots.

"They will be well organised defensively," he added. "I watched the game against Austria the other day and it was a goal in first-half injury time and then a goal in 95-96 minutes.

"They are a threat from set-plays. We give them every respect, but we look to put on a performance for ourselves and for the fans."

Team news

Midfielder John McGinn, right-backs Stephen O'Donnell and Nathan Patterson and striker Kevin Nisbet return after missing the defeat in Denmark.

McGinn sat out having tested positive for coronavirus, while Patterson and O'Donnell were also absent because of Covid-related issues.

Nisbet has recovered from a knock and all four trained with the Scotland squad on Friday, while Clarke reported only a "couple of niggles" following the midweek defeat.

What do we know about Moldova?

Since a high of 37 in 2008, Moldova have slipped to 175th in the world, although that is a rise of two from their all-time low in November.

Libya-born Italian Roberto Bordin, 56, got off to a disappointing start after becoming head coach in February, with a 1-1 draw at home to Faroe Islands followed by an 8-0 thrashing in Denmark.

Bordin led Moldova to a 1-0 defeat of Azerbaijan in a June friendly, but that is the their only win in 22 internationals since their last competitive victory - 1-0 at home to Andorra in a European Championship qualifier in June 2019.

It was followed by Saturday's 2-0 home Group F loss to Austria and they head to Hampden on the back of 14 consecutive away defeats since beating San Marino 1-0 in the Nations League in November 2018.

What they said

Scotland midfielder John McGinn: "We have belief, but it's easy for me to sit here and say the right things. We need to do it on the park. We are still capable.

"We didn't create enough chances the other night, but we were up against the top seed.

"On Saturday night we well get chances and it's up to me and the strikers who are in good form for their clubs. We are more than capable of getting those goals and hopefully I can have another flurry."

Match statistics

• Scotland and Moldova last faced one another in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup - after a 1-1 draw in Chisinau, the Scots won 2-0 at Hampden with goals from Christian Dailly and James McFadden.
• Moldova have faced the British home nations on eight previous occasions in World Cup qualifying, losing seven and drawing one and have lost their last five by an aggregate score of 17-0.
• Scotland are unbeaten in their past eight home World Cup qualifiers (winning five) since losing 2-0 to Belgium back in September 2013.
• Moldova have lost 13 of their past 16 away matches in qualifying for major tournaments and have lost their past nine by an aggregate score of 27-1.
• Scotland have lost three of their past four competitive matches, drawing the other - one more than they had in their previous 14.
• Moldova have conceded more goals - 15 - than any other side in Group F so far in this qualifying campaign.
• John McGinn has scored nine goals in eight home qualifiers and no player has ever netted more goals on home soil for Scotland in qualifying matches, with Ally McCoist also scoring nine in 21 appearances.
• McGinn has scored in each of his past two home World Cup qualifying matches. The only players to score in three in a row are Mo Johnston and Kevin Gallacher.