Rangers go to Easter Road in midweek, hot on the heels of Hibs beating them at Hampden in the League Cup. Will it be a different story on Wednesday?
David McCarthy: It promises to be a cracker and won't be as meek and mild as they were at Hampden. Still not convinced they'll win, though. Could be a 2-2 draw or something of that ilk.
Andy Newport: They will certainly have a point to prove. GvB has injected a fresh spark into a Gers side in danger of going stale but this will be a major test for him just two weeks into his tenure. Win it and it will take something major for the champions to be denied two in a row.
Fraser Wilson: This fixture always produces fireworks in Leith. Hibs are hot and cold right now but having the electric Martin Boyle back from suspension raises their chances and I can see this one ending all even.
Gordon Parks: If Hibs start with the same intent they showed at Hampden and Rangers aren't quickly in gear then it could be another difficult night for the Ibrox side. That League Cup semi-final result should be enough to ensure the Light Blues show a massively improved appetite for the contest.
So, it's Ukraine at home, followed by Wales or Austria away if we do the business in the first match...are we going to Qatar?
David McCarthy: Let's face it, Steve Clarke would have bitten your hand off for that draw. No, it's not easy but avoiding Italy, Portugal and even Poland was massive. I think we'll do it.
Andy Newport: We’ve got every chance if we can find a double repeat of that Denmark display. That’s good enough to beat any of the teams in our side of the draw
Fraser Wilson: Not the worst draw .. but also not the easiest. Ukraine with the threats of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Andriy Yarlomenko will pose a real test and I’m just relieved this one is at Hampden. Get through that and I’d fancy us to do a job in Wales or Austria. Bring it on!
Gordon Parks: It's going to be a bumpy ride but we can now at least see the end of the road to Qatar. It'll require plenty of good fortune but Scotland are capable of beating Ukraine and it could be another World Cup classic against Wales which takes us through.
Mixed fortunes for our clubs in Europe this week but assess the respective campaigns of Rangers and Celtic to date.
David McCarthy: Job done for Rangers is a great achievement and Celtic, in a tougher group, were undone by their defensive frailties but will fancy their chances of making progress in the Europa Conference.
Andy Newport: The Ibrox men have found a way to get across the line despite being far from at their best. They will have to improve if they want to progress further though. Celtic have made strides under Ange Postecoglou but are just far too open to trouble top teams at this level.
Fraser Wilson: You could say both have won the games they should be winning. Rangers have done enough to get through their group without setting the heather on fire. You just wonder if Celtic could have stood a chance of doing likewise if they were a bit more pragmatic against Leverkusen and Betis.
Gordon Parks: Celtic's defensive failings have been laid bare but the display in Germany last week showed a general improvement but they aren't a match for top quality sides. It's been a mixed Euro journey for Rangers and like Celtic, it's middle of the road for them and nothing much to shout about.
Does victories for Auchinleck, Clydebank and Banks O'Dee over SPFL opposition in the Scottish Cup strengthen the argument for making the play-off system into League Two fairer than it is currently?
David McCarthy: There's no doubt the current system favours the bottom team in League Two but it's unlikely to change anytime soon as turkeys don't vote for Christmas too often.
Andy Newport: Yes. The current arrangement is geared far too much in favour of clubs that are as short on ambition as they are quality.
Fraser Wilson: Massively. The bottleneck underneath League 2 is ridiculous and it should be two down two up .. with no play-off required. There are a whole host of ambitious clubs in the Highland, Lowland and West of Scotland Leagues ready to step up in the coming years.
Gordon Parks: No. These are one off games and the shock results are fuelled by the desire to claim a big scalp. Well done to the minnows but we already have too many of them in the senior set-up. Not all of these clubs have SPFL ambitions in any case.
