World Cup qualifying: Scotland v Belarus Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Sunday, 12 October Time: 17:00 BST Coverage: Watch on BBC Scotland, BBC Two and the BBC iPlayer; listen on BBC Radio Scotland & Radio Nan Gaidheal; follow live text coverage, in-play clips and join the conversation on the BBC Sport website & app

Steve Clarke will have led Scotland in more games than any other man by the end of Sunday. When Belarus come to Hampden, the 62-year-old will better the late Craig Brown's record of 71 matches in charge. Despite that, fans are perhaps polarised on how good a job the former West Brom and Kilmarnock manager has done in his six years in charge. He is the only man to guide Scotland's men's side to a major finals over the past 27 years - something he has managed twice at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024. A first World Cup appearance since 1998 would elevate Clarke's legacy to new heights, with a second win this week potentially pivotal in achieving that.

While the head coach focuses on having a strong second half of the current qualifying campaign, BBC Scotland has reflected on his 70-match reign. A late Oliver Burke winner over Cyprus in Clarke's first match in charge set the tone for six years of ups, downs and drama. There was pain before gain, with Belgium and Russia dishing out two defeats each to the sorry Scots over the next four games. At that point, the nation had not featured at a major tournament in more than two decades. If you had offered any member of the Tartan Army two Euros appearances over the next six years, you would have been lucky to still have a hand.

A shift of shape to a back three and a nine-match unbeaten run culminated with Scotland defeating Serbia on penalties in a play-off to secure a place at Euro 2020. The Scots failed to progress from their group in the delayed finals, though, and many questioned if Clarke had hit his ceiling after defeat by Ukraine in the 2022 World Cup play-offs.

But resilience has been in the Scotland boss' make-up throughout his tenure. A stunning start to Euro 2024 qualifying, including a landmark win over Spain, ensured Clarke's men reached the finals with two games to spare. However, those doubts came flooding back - and louder than ever before - following a deflating summer on the pitch in Germany. Scotland failed to progress from their group again, but the head coach's cautious approach attracted most of the intense criticism. Clarke vowed to fight on in a bid to reach the World Cup next year, and his squad are in good shape after taking seven points from their first three qualifiers. Victory over pointless Belarus would secure a play-off place, should Greece lose in Denmark later on Sunday.

If Clarke is able to lead his side to the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer, he will become the first Scotland boss to take charge at three major tournaments. He has won 31, drawn 16 and lost 24 of his 71 matches - a win rate of 44% - and his teams have scored 100 goals while conceding 92. Meanwhile, his win percentage of 58% in competitive qualifiers - 18 victories from 31 games - makes for impressive reading.

The Scotland boss has benefitted from having a talented group at his disposal, but one thing he has lacked is a goalscoring striker. Clarke instead found a way to get goals from John McGinn and Scott McTominay, and it is the midfield duo who have had the most goal involvements during his reign. Aston Villa captain McGinn has scored 20 times and set up another nine in 65 caps under Clarke, while Napoli's McTominay is on 12 goals and two assists in 56 games. It is, in fact, McGinn who has featured most for Clarke throughout his tenure, with current captain Andy Robertson, McTominay, Ryan Christie and Callum McGregor making up the rest of the top five.

A World Cup in 2026, hopefully. Clarke's current deal is set to expire after those finals next year. In March, he said there was a 75% chance he would not renew his contract. Perhaps a World Cup appearance would bring his Scotland story to a natural conclusion, or failure to get there would open the door for something fresh. But before that is formally addressed, there are three crucial qualifiers to navigate. Victory over Belarus - live on the BBC - could result in Scotland having a play-off place guaranteed for next summer's finals or could leave them clear at the top of the group with two games left. Automatic qualification is not beyond this squad. If that is achieved, the nation's view on Clarke's tenure should unify.