SCOTLAND boss Steve Clarke offered his opposite number Oleksandr Petrakov and his  Ukraine team “nothing but good thoughts and good wishes for them — except during the game” yesterday as the sides prepared for tonight’s World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final, delayed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

Petrakov tried to sign up to Ukraine’s defence forces, but the 64-year-old’s age and lack of military experience prevented this. His Ukraine-based players, the majority of his squad, have been preparing for Scotland game at a training camp in Slovenia and have now been joined in Glasgow by their overseas contingent, which includes English Premier League stars Vitaliy Mykolenko of Everton, Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko and West Ham’s Andriy Yarmolenko. 

Clarke confirmed that Nathan Patterson will miss the match. The 20-year-old right-back, who has struggled for game time at Everton since moving from Rangers in January and had ankle surgery at the beginning of April, was unable to prove his fitness ahead of the sold-out Hampden Park clash, but could be ready for Sunday’s play-off final in Cardiff against Wales if Scotland win tonight.