Scotland v Ukraine: Pedro Martinez Losa's side can see World Cup finishing line

Scotland are aiming to qualify for successive Women's World Cup finals for the first time as they prepare to host Ukraine in a mammoth match on Friday night.

Pedro Martinez Losa's side are currently unbeaten in Group B, having recorded home and away wins over Hungary - and a Hampden defeat of the Faroe Islands.

The next two matches against Ukraine and Spain are massive games for the Scots, with the possibility of going top of the group now a tangible goal.

How have Scotland fared so far? Just how important would a win against Ukraine be? And how does qualification work?

The story so far

Dare we say it when it comes to a Scottish national side and qualification, but it's been relatively plain sailing so far.

The first game of the campaign - his first outing as national coach - and former Arsenal and Bordeaux boss Losa hit the ground running with a 2-0 win in Hungary.

Back to Hampden next against the Faroe Islands and the Scots comfortably saw off the visitors with a convincing 7-1 scoreline.

Hungary came to Hampden in October, when Scotland this time needed a last-minute Rachel Corsie goal to secure a 2-1 win and prevent a significant pothole appearing on the road to the finals.

Scotland followed that a few days later with a 2-0 friendly defeat by Sweden at Hampden, but facing the world's second-ranked side will have been a good barometer for Losa with potentially crucial games against Spain's world number 10s to come.

Who qualifies and how are Scotland placed?

Scotland's women are already well on their way to following the men's example of securing at least a place in their World Cup play-offs.

Uefa's qualification process is split into nine groups, with the winners of each qualifying directly and the runners-up going into the play-offs.

Three wins from three has Scotland sitting in second place in Group B, level on points with Spain but 14 goals worse off in terms of goal difference thanks to Spain's impressive 10-0, 7-0, and 6-0 triumphs.

Ukraine are six points behind them both, but Friday's visitors do have a game in hand, so a win on Friday would be a massive step in the right direction for Losa's side.

Scotland's impressive home form could be key, with both of their upcoming matches taking place at Hampden.

Why do Scotland need to win?

With the play-offs in mind, a result against Ukraine would be a massive boost.

If Scotland win on Friday, the visitors would still be at least six points worse off than Scotland even if they win their game in hand.

While trying not to get too far ahead of ourselves, a win over Ukraine would set Scotland up nicely for a Tuesday showdown with the Spaniards.

A home win then would be a bit of an upset considering the visitors are 12 places above the Scots in the world rankings and would send them to the top of the group with only three games left to play.

What can Scotland expect from Ukraine?

Intrigue is added to Friday's game by the appointment of Lluis Cortes as Ukraine head coach.

The 35-year-old has an impressive record and, having worked his way up from the Barcelona academy, left his team boss role on the back of leading his side to a domestic double and a famous win over Chelsea in the Women's Champions League final.

Now he inherits a side currently lying 31st in the world rankings, nine places below the Scots, while trying to plot the downfall of compatriot Losa and their home country.

A world ranking high of 16th in 2009 coincided with the only time Ukraine have reached a major finals, exiting the Euros at the group stage.

They came close to reaching the 2022 Euro finals after finishing behind Germany and ahead of Republic of Ireland in their qualifying group but lost 4-1 on aggregate to Northern Ireland in the play-offs.

Cortes will know he faces a tough test in his debut as Ukraine boss given Scotland beat Friday's visitors 3-0 in March 2020, when two Martha Thomas goals and one from Claire Emslie set the Scots on their way to lifting the four-nation Pinatar Cup friendly tournament.

Manchester United striker Thomas has had to withdraw through injury this time round, but Chelsea's Erin Cuthbert, Aston Villa's Chloe Arthur and AC Milan's Christy Grimshaw have also all found the net twice each in this qualifying campaign and will be hoping to share in the goals again in what will be a crucial five days for Scotland's World Cup dreams.