Scotland on course for a Pot 1 seeding place at Euro 2024 finals - but Norway and Georgia games are crucial

National team must keep momentum after a 100 per cent start in their qualifying group.

There is appreciable satisfaction among Scotland fans that the Spanish midfielder Rodri scored Manchester City's Champions League-winning goal at the weekend, yet still couldn't do it on a cold Tuesday night in Glasgow. That seismic victory over Spain in March harnessed Tartan Army dreams of a place at next summer's European Championship in Germany. The player’s post-match wailing over Scotland's “rubbish” football and Hampden's long grass simply added to the glee.

Winning 12 of the last 15 competitive international fixtures also helps the country’s footballing psyche. Steve Clarke is building genuine momentum with the current squad as they prepare to meet Norway and Georgia over the next seven days. Having beaten Cyprus and Spain without losing a goal to top Group A after the opening two qualifiers, a place at Euro 2024 is clearly attainable. There may yet be more good news to delight a support base whose lager is tasting all the sweeter right now.

A change to UEFA's international seeding procedure a few years ago means seeds for European Championship finals are now determined by points totals from the qualifying phase – as opposed to country co-efficients. The six teams amassing most points across the 10 qualifying groups for Euro 2024 go into Pot 1, the next six into Pot 2, and so on. The 24 teams who qualify for the tournament will be seeded in that way [Germany are in Pot 1 automatically as hosts].

Scotland have a 100 per cent record as things stand and, therefore, are on course to be Pot 1 seeds when the draw for the finals takes place in Hamburg this December. That would see them avoid many bigger nations also in Pot 1. France, England, Croatia and Portugal are among those in that bracket as it stands.

Now, it is still very early in the qualifying series and the next seven days could alter the landscape drastically. It would be classic Scottish style to become preoccupied with seeding before qualification is even secured. So let's not indulge that too much. The ultimate priority is for Clarke and his team to finish first or second in Group A to guarantee a finals place. There is the safety net of a play-off already secured from last year's successful Nations League campaign if required.

UEFA used the same seeding procedure based on qualifying group points for the delayed Euro 2020 finals. Previous to that, national co-efficients determined the seed rankings. Scotland qualified for Euro 2020 but did so via a play-off. Consequently, they were designated Pot 4 seeds well before that memorable penalty shootout win in Serbia.

The incentive for any country is now clear during the qualifying phase. Even if a place in the finals is achieved with games to spare, winning additional points could propel you into a higher seeding pot. For the moment, Scotland will focus on Saturday night’s assignment in Oslo’s Ullevaal Stadion followed by Georgia’s visit to Hampden three days later. By this time next week they will be halfway through the qualifiers.

Scotland enjoyed a momentous victory over Spain at Hampden Park in March.

“We’ve had an incredible start to the group,” said Clarke’s assistant, John Carver. “When you think, six points from our first two games and two good performances. But, again, because we’ve got no egos, we’re not going to get carried away. We’re not going to start thinking we’ve achieved our goal. That’s because nothing has been achieved yet.

“We’ll assess it again when we get to the halfway stage. After these two games, if we can remain in the first or second automatic positions then it’s a good start to the campaign. We don’t have to stop the players getting carried away with it. That’s because of the type of guys they are.”

Even the momentous 2-0 result against Spain, courtesy of Scott McTominay’s two goals, didn’t prompt this Scottish squad to crack open the champagne. “I was quite surprised how calm it was because it's a big scalp,” admitted Carver. “Obviously, we heard what Rodri had to say about it. The calmness and focus was: 'Let's put it to bed, go back to your clubs, look after yourselves and then we get together again in Spain.'

“I have to talk about the [training] camp in Spain last week. Last year, we didn't get enough time with the players before that big [World Cup] qualifying game [against Ukraine]. We didn't want to make the same mistake so we decided to bring the guys in. It was a super camp for five days. We actually did some double sessions and some of the lads were jokingly asking if it was pre-season again.”

A Scotland victory on Saturday would inflict huge damage on Norway’s qualification hopes given they took just one point from their opening two Group A ties away to Spain and Georgia. This is their first home fixture and head coach Ståle Solbakken knows he realistically needs a win. Scotland are under no such pressure.

“The most important thing is a result,” remarked Carver. “Yeah, we want to go there and win, but we want to get a positive result. A draw would be a positive result. We've been great at home but we need better performances and results away from home. They have to win the game to close the gap on us. We know enough about how they play. The style doesn't change that much, depending on personnel. Obviously, if you've got [Erling] Haaland through the middle then you are talking about a different player.”

What no-one knows is how Haaland might perform whilst hungover. City’s Champions League celebrations left Jack Grealish looking like he’d been on a Club 18-30 trip run by Rab Nesbitt and Jamesie Cotter. Haaland may have indulged slightly less. “Is he still partying? He's had more parties than we did when we qualified [for Euro 2020],” joked Carver. “He's a professional. I'm sure he's looked after himself. Let's see what he is like when we get there. He is a super player, for sure, but they will be worried about some of our players as well.”