Hampden KO on cards

STEVE CLARKE is braced for Austria asking UEFA to move their World Cup qualifier away from Hampden.

Just two days before the Scotland boss names his squad for matches against the Austrians, Israel and Faroe Islands, his start to the Qatar 2022 campaign could be rejigged.

MailSport understands the Austrian FA are weighing up their options, which include asking UEFA to either flip the

opening Group F fixture to play it at home – or request a neutral venue.

Clarke’s side are due to play them at Hampden a week on Thursday but Covid restrictions have thrown Austria’s plans into chaos.

A host of their Germanbased players, including Bayern Munich skipper David Alaba, aren’t allowed to enter the UK without a 14- day quarantine period on their return, which has been ruled out by clubs.

There is no exemption for elite sportsmen and that has led to several Champions League games involving German sides being moved to neutral grounds.

In Austria’s last squad, there were no fewer than 18 Bundesliga players included, which has given boss Franco Foda a major problem.

Clarke is now gearing up for a potential switch if UEFA is asked to step in.

If his team are ordered to play at a neutral venue, they’d essentially kick off the World Cup campaign with two away fixtures, as they play in Israel three days later.

That would be the same if Austria were allowed to reverse the fixture and play it at home.

However, the positive of that scenario for Scotland could be that by the time the flipped game at Hampden comes around on September 7 we could have supporters back at stadiums.

Clarke is due to name his squad for the vital qualifiers on Tuesday.