Record-breaking Clarke didn’t expect to ‘last this long’ – but is ‘greedy’ for more

World Cup qualifying: Scotland v Belarus

Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Sunday, 12 October Time: 19:45 BST

Steve Clarke admits he didn’t expect to “last this long” as Scotland boss, but is “greedy for more” as his side target a first men’s World Cup since 1998.

The 62-year-old will manage his country for the 72nd time against Belarus at Hampden on Sunday – live on the BBC – eclipsing the previous record mark set by Craig Brown.

Victory over the pointless visitors would take Scotland top of their World Cup qualifying group. Leaders Denmark host Greece later on Sunday, with defeat for the latter guaranteeing a play-off place for Clarke’s side should they beat Belarus.

Getting three points against a side they overcame 2-0 in Hungary last month is the main focus for Clarke, but he conceded the milestone is something he is “proud” of.

“I’d be daft if I wasn’t because I’m the first guy to reach that amount of games,” he said. “That’s nice for me, but it’s a little personal thing.

Clarke succeeded Alex McLeish as national team boss in 2019 and has led Scotland to two European Championships.

Having narrowly missed out on the 1990 World Cup as a player, and lost to Ukraine in the play-offs for the last finals as Scotland head coach, he is determined to add the global showpiece to his list of career achievements.

“The brief was to qualify for tournaments,” he added when reflecting on his time in charge. “We’ve done that twice and we want to do it again because we’re all greedy.

“Did I think I’d last this long? Probably not, but here we are.

“We’ve put together a strong nucleus that we’ve managed to build upon. That’s what creates the environment because they know each other – and good results help.

After recovering from a different first hour or so to come back and beat Greece 3-1 on Thursday, Scotland will make changes for what will be a different kind of test.

Lewis Ferguson and Ryan Christie are suspended and Aaron Hickey injured, meaning Billy Gilmour, Lyndon Dykes and Tony Ralston could be in line to start.

Clarke expects Belarus to sit deep at Hampden and make it difficult for Scotland, but said the onus was on his side.

“In my time here, we’ve done well against the so-called lesser teams and it’s very important you get the points off them,” he said.

“They’ll come here and be organised, they’ll be difficult to break down and until you break them down, it’ll be a long night.

“It’s up to us to approach the game properly, which we will. It’s up to us to create enough chances to get the crowd excited, which we hopefully will.”

Clarke also insisted he was not thinking beyond Sunday’s match, with a trip to Greece and a home match against the Danes following next month.

“All I ever try to emphasise is that if you want to qualify, these are the games you have to win,” he said. “If you drop points to the teams ranked below you, it makes qualification difficult.

“No room for complacency. At no point am I looking too far ahead.