What do Scotland need to happen to reach World Cup?

Once Hampden has emptied after Scotland's World Cup qualifier with Belarus on Sunday, attention will turn to Copenhagen, where Denmark welcome Greece.

The hope will be that Steve Clarke's side are two points clear at the top of Group C by then, having seen off their pointless visitors for the second time in this campaign - live on the BBC.

A perfunctory win over Belarus in Hungary last month offered little to suggest that Carlos Alos' side have the means to upset the odds in Glasgow. Even the president of their football association called them hopeless last week.

Looking too far ahead risks falling over the thing immediately in front of you, of course, but none of us are in the mood quite yet to consider the permutations if Scotland do not win.

So for the purposes of this, let's assume they do and focus on that Copenhagen clash (19:45 BST) - a game that could guarantee Scotland a play-off place with two games to spare, or leave them two points clear at the summit of the section.

But what do the Scots ideally want to happen in the meeting of their group rivals?

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What happens if Denmark beat Greece?

Scotland and Denmark would be on 10 points and both would be guaranteed to be, at worst, in the play-offs.

The Danes would still lead on goal difference, unless Clarke's side win by six or more and Brian Riemer's men only by one. And that is the first deciding factor if teams are level on points - not head-to-head.

For those play-offs, the 12 runners up - plus the four best Nations League group winners who fail to finish top two in their sections - will be drawn into four sets.

Each set will have a one-legged semi-final - with the seeded team at home - and a final. So, basically, two games to decide which four teams join the World Cup party.

However, Scotland will be hoping they can get the job done without the need for such messiness.

We can probably assume Denmark will beat Belarus at home in November, which would move them to 13 points.

If Scotland beat an already-out Greece in Athens, they would match that tally, setting up a winner-takes-all game at Hampden.

A draw in that one on 18 November would likely favour the Danes, given the goal difference disparity.

Should the Scots draw in Athens, victory over Denmark would still be enough to win the group. However, defeat in Greece would require a handsome victory in that final game to give Clarke's side any chance of automatic qualification.

What about if they draw?

Denmark would be on eight points and Greece on four. And Scotland - remember, we're assuming they get the job done against Belarus - would be two clear.

Again, let's assume Denmark beat Belarus on matchday five to move on to 11. If Scotland avoided defeat in Athens on the same day, they would confirm at least a play-off and the Greeks would be eliminated.

Top spot would then come down to the game at Hampden with the Danes. The winner of that would qualify and a draw would favour the team with the better goal difference, or more goals scored if they were still equal.

If they still could not be split, you are then into goals scored away from home in matches between the two teams, a play-off at a neutral venue if the calendar allows, fair play points, then the drawing of lots - in that order.

We can assume none of that will happen.

Should Scotland lose in Athens, it might get a bit nervy. Greece would be three points back with a trip to play Belarus remaining.

Beating Denmark would still be enough to win the group - and a draw would confirm a play-off. However, a defeat - combined with Greece doing their bit - means goal difference and all the rest comes back into play to decide whether Scotland or the Greeks finish second.

Would a Greece win help?

That depends on how positive your outlook is.

If Greece win, they would move on to six points, one behind Denmark, with Scotland three clear at the summit.

Again, assuming the Danes bounce back and beat Belarus, a win for Clarke's men in Athens would eliminate Greece and leave Scotland needing a draw against Denmark to seal top spot. Defeat at Hampden would put both teams on 13 and back in that tie-breaker situation.

A draw in Greece would move Scotland to 11, one above Denmark and four above Greece. The top two would be safe, with a draw enough to win the section.

If Scotland lose in Athens, it gets messy again. They would stay on 10 alongside Denmark, with Greece up to nine.

Victory against the Danes would be enough to qualify automatically. A draw would mean Greece win the group, should they beat Belarus, and would leave Scotland and Denmark squabbling over goal difference to see who finishes second.

However, a defeat would leave Clarke's side third and wondering where it all went wrong yet again. Got it?