Scotland vs Ukraine World Cup playoff date identified as UEFA get creative to ease manic June fixture list

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Ukraine will receive a choice of two dates for the World Cup play-off with Scotland. And the Hampden semi-final is also set to serve a dual-purpose with UEFA expected to confirm it will also count as a Nations League game.Steve Clarke and his players await more news from European football's governing body on the crucial match with the winner taking on Wales in Cardiff to reach Qatar.

But reports in Ukraine suggest UEFA have pencilled in May 31 and June 1 as the two days the match could take place, with the Ukrainian FA allowed to choose which date suits them best.

They are reeling from the war instigated by Russia with domestic-based players given special permits to leave the country and train abroad in preparation for the game.Get all the latest Sports news sent straight to your Inbox every day by signing up to our newsletter.We cover every morsel of information regarding your favourite club in the form of articles, videos and podcasts.The newsletter will arrive every day at 12pm, giving you a round up of the best stories we've covered that in the last 24 hours.To sign up, simply enter your email address into the link here.And if you aren't already, make sure you join the conversation over on our Facebook groups and Record Sport Instagram.

Scotland are due to play Ukraine in Glasgow on June 7 as a Nations League qualifier, but the earlier match will now count as a World Cup qualifier and a Nations League game to reduce the fixture backlog.