Le Weekend

Off to Hampden tomorrow for the latest part of the quest to see Scotland qualify for a championship for the first time since France '98. Schevchenko and Voronin should provide the Ukrainian threat but confidence will be high that Scotland can win and cement their position in Group B. The midweek trek to Georgia will not be for the faint-hearted but the team will surely fancy it if they can celebrate another three points on Saturday. The Italy match next month at Hampden will be a decider on that basis, but two wins beforehand and any slip from France or Italy could even make that academic. Qualification for Scotland is critical because it would elevate their world rankings and they would likely go into the World Cup draw as seeds which means you are only likely to be grouped with one other seed as opposed to two.

One thing is for sure, I will insist that we are drinking in a pub tomorrow night that is showing Le Crunch. With Scotland whimpering out of the Rugby World Cup on Sunday (don't mention it, I am still furious), I will be cheering England on in a game that I believe they can win. The tactics deployed so brilliantly against the Aussies will be enough to force the French to choke once more. With up to 40,000 England fans in Paris it should be an amazing occasion. Allez les Blancs!

England's oft derided football team should make mincemeat of Estonia at Wembley too, irrespective of who's fit to play, so expect a rare double. Then we can all get back to the business and the focus on a tricky trip to Molineaux where a draw would not be too shabby with two homes games to follow.