समीकरणों के सामने आने के बाद इंग्लैंड और स्कॉटलैंड अंतिम 16 में आमने-सामने हो सकते हैं।

If Scotland didn’t have enough motivation to reach the World Cup knockouts, a potential showdown with England will certainly do it.

The Tartan Army stand on the brink of history heading into their final group game against Brazil on Wednesday, as they bid to qualify for the second stage of the competition for the first time ever.

Steve Clarke is looking to guide Scotland into the World Cup knockouts in their first tournament appearance since 1998Getty

Steve Clarke’s side started their campaign by beating Haiti by a single goal, thanks to a John McGinn deflected shot.

However, in their second clash with Morocco in Group C, they conceded after just 70 seconds and lost 1-0.

Despite this, Scotland head into their third and final group game against Brazil in Miami with their fate in their own hands.

Should they shock everyone and beat Carlo Ancelotti’s side, the Scots would guarantee at least second place and a sail into the knockout stages, while they could even win the group if Haiti beat Morocco in their meeting.

Failing to finish in the top two isn’t the end of the world, though, with the eight best third-place sides also progressing to the round of 32.

And while Scotland will want to make things easy by clinching a top-two finish, coming third could offer the ultimate knockout clash…

How can Scotland qualify by finishing third?

Ahead of Scotland’s final group game, talkSPORT’s Jim Proudfoot has been busy exploring the many permutations that could see them clinch a sought-after third-place finish.

He hasn’t cut any corners either – his methods involve looking back at every World Cup since 2002 and working out the average points totals of third-place teams.

And by Proudfoot’s calculations, Scotland are set to rack up enough to make the top eight of the mini-league of third-best teams, as long as they avoid a heavy defeat to Brazil.

He explained: “If you extrapolate that out, I think now it looks as though Scotland will be okay.

Scotland won their first World Cup game in 36 years by beating HaitiAFP

“And it might be that even if they do end up on the wrong side of a four or five-goal defeat, they will still be fine.”

Who could Scotland face in the round of 32?

It is after Scotland tentatively seal a third-place qualification route into the round of 32 that things become complicated.

There are 495 different combinations to dictate which table-topping team a third-placed nation faces, depending on which groups they come from.

But Proudfoot has narrowed this down to two most likely scenarios.

He explained: “It’s fair to assume that the teams that finish third in Group B and Group F, along with Scotland, will almost certainly qualify. 

“And if you take out Group A and E, which are the two that we’ve just talked about, where the third-place team is likely to end up on one point, then you have very few combinations.

Scotland are hoping for one last push against BrazilGetty

Proudfoot continued: “I think you can strip it down to only six likely combinations now out of 495, and in five of those, Scotland would play Mexico. 

“They will play the team that have won Group A, which we already know is Mexico.

“The other one, which I think is probably the least likely of the six actually – which is combination 84 out of 495 – that would see Scotland playing against the winners of Group E, which is Germany.

“I think it’s almost certain now that Scotland will be okay. If they’re okay, they would then almost certainly play against Mexico.”

How can Scotland face England?

Bitter rivals England enter the conversation at the round of 16 stage, who will fancy their chances of winning Group L after beating Croatia in their opening game.

In this event, the Three Lions would be drawn against the highest-ranked third team from a mini-league between Groups E, H, I, J, and K in the round of 32.

Harry Kane and Co could be waiting for Scotland in the round of 16Getty Mexico City’s 87,523-capacity Estadio Azteca could host a thrilling showdown between England and ScotlandGetty

And should Scotland win their hypothetical clash against Mexico, and England beat their opponents, Proudfoot has teased an absolute blockbuster.

He said: “If Scotland then would have beat Mexico, and England win their next tie, it would be England-Scotland in the Azteca.”

Have England and Scotland ever played at the World Cup?

A World Cup showdown between England and Scotland would be an instant classic, especially as they have never met on this stage before.

The two home nations have played on 116 occasions in total, with the Three Lions winning 49 of them, while the Tartan Army have come out on top in 41.

And while they are yet to clash at a World Cup, the old rivals have faced off at major tournaments before – most recently drawing 0-0 at Euro 2020.

Arguably, the most memorable showdown came at Euro ’96, where England won 2-0 at Wembley as Paul Gascoigne grabbed the headlines with a stunning goal and ‘dentist’s chair’ celebration.

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