Slovakia vs Scotland: The World Cup track refocuses Steve Clark ahead of the Nations League match

Steve Clark says the 2022 World Cup “should be the goal” of Scotland’s League of Nations campaign.

Clark’s side lead their group ahead of Sunday’s game in Slovakia on Sunday, with a win there – or in Israel on Wednesday – enough to win the division.

“The players understand the importance of the upcoming matches,” said Clark.

“The next track of the Nations League could be for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and that should be the goal as well.

“Everyone who plays on the Scottish team should realize that we are in Euro 2020 because of the course of the Nations League. It’s a very important tournament for us.”

The celebrations continued well into the night after the big win in the European Championship penalty shootout final against Serbia on Thursday.

Coach Clark expects a number of changes in Sunday’s game after a stressful night in Belgrade, where striker Lyndon Dykes was stopped, and captain Andy Robertson was one of the doubts about injury.

However, he stressed that post-match celebrations would not affect players’ availability.

“The celebrations stopped at night,” Clark said. “They broke up naturally. It was a good party but it wasn’t crazy, nothing over the top.

“ But it was a physically stressful game, also emotionally – very stressful for the players who were there on the field.

“I will talk to three or four players who may have doubts about coming back after this difficult match, and then I will come up with choosing a team that we hope will bring us three more points.

Slovakia had celebrations of its own after securing a place in Europe with an extra-time win over Northern Ireland in Belfast, also on Thursday.

“I think both teams will probably be in the same state of mind, and both teams will be physically similar to that,” Clark added.

If Scotland avoids defeat at Trnava, it will equal a record that has held for nearly 100 years.

The last time the national team played 10 matches unbeaten was between March 1924 and February 1927, all against other countries.

“It’s a great stat, but we haven’t played 10 games,” said Clark.

“I understand why the coaches say the records aren’t important. It’s about what we achieved Thursday night – tangible rewards like going to a major tournament.”