Scotland are staring down the barrel of World Cup elimination, yet Steve Clarke's side cling to the faintest of hopes. With just one win from three group games — including a 3-0 hammering by Brazil — the Tartan Army are praying that results elsewhere keep them alive as one of the eight third-placed teams to advance to the round of 32.

Scotland currently occupy eighth place — the final qualifying spot — in the third-place standings. However, that position is far from secure. Wins for South Africa and Ecuador earlier in the group stage pushed Scotland closer to the exit, and Japan's failure to beat Sweden by four goals did nothing to help. The draw between Paraguay and Australia offered no comfort either.

For Clarke's side to survive, they need at least four of the following six remaining results to go in their favour.

The six results Scotland need

Group I: Senegal vs Iraq (Friday, 8pm)

Scotland need Senegal to drop points against Iraq. If Iraq win, Scotland will be hoping the margin of victory is fewer than three goals — a bigger win for Iraq would push them ahead of Scotland in the third-place standings.

Group H: Uruguay vs Spain (Saturday, 1am)

Scotland need Spain to beat Uruguay. A Spanish victory would leave Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay on two points, placing them behind Scotland in the third-place table regardless of goal difference.

Group G: Egypt vs Iran (Saturday, 4am)

A win for Egypt over Iran would leave the Group G third-place finisher on just two points, ensuring that team cannot leapfrog Scotland in the standings.

Group L: Croatia vs Ghana (Saturday, 10pm)

Scotland need Ghana to defeat Croatia by at least three goals. That result would bring the Croatians level with Scotland on points while leaving them with a worse goal difference.

Group K: DR Congo vs Uzbekistan (Sunday, 12:30pm)

Scotland need Uzbekistan to win or draw against DR Congo. If Uzbekistan win, it must not be by four or more goals — a margin that large would send them above Scotland.

Group J: Algeria vs Austria (Sunday, 3am)

Scotland need Austria to win by two goals or more. That scoreline would push Algeria behind Scotland on goal difference in the third-place table.

The group stage concludes on Sunday, with Scotland unable to influence any of these matches. All they can do is watch — and hope.