Despite calls from many North of the border to call off this friendly, Scotland will play host to controversial 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar on Friday evening.

For the Scots, this clash at Easter Road is viewed as a warm-up encounter for a vital Euro 2016 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland next week.

Scotland

With the leagues in England and Scotland having finished last month, head coach Gordon Strachan was eager for his players not to head into the clash with ROI cold, so much so that each member of the squad was handed individual plans to ensure that they remain in peak physical condition.

After all, the 6-1 thrashing of Gibraltar at Hampden Park last time out has left the Tartan Army joint second with world champions Germany in Group D for Euro 2016 qualifying.

With the ruling that now provides three nations instead of just two with the opportunity to qualify for the extended 24-team tournament, not losing to the Irish, who sit one place and two points behind, is vital for the Scots.

On the face of it, the clash with the Qataris is little more than the support act for the main event in Dublin eight days later, but a victory for the Scots could actually boost their chances of qualifying for the next World Cup in Russia.

They have hopes of being placed in pot two for the draw, which takes place next month, but their only chance of that happening centres around two victories being collected over the coming days.

Their recent home form would suggest that a win is in the offing, having beaten five of the last seven visitors to Scotland, with a 3-1 defeat to rivals England the only blot on their copybook.

Recent form: WDWLWW

Qatar

As far as football in Qatar is concerned, all eyes have been trained on the World Cup in 2022 for some time now. However, they head into this clash with their status as hosts now hanging in the balance following revelations of widespread corruption at the game's governing body FIFA.

Not only that, the resignation of FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who had often defended the vote that had handed Qatar the tournament, has resulted in suggestions that a re-vote could be in the offing.

It is a situation that has caused leading Scottish politician Neil Findlay to, unsuccessfully, call for this match to be cancelled.

"Until things improve it's time we gave the red card to FIFA and to the Qatar World Cup in 2022. Postponing the friendly between Scotland and Qatar shows that we will not tolerate the scandalous treatment of workers in Qatar," he said.

On the pitch, things have at least picked up for the Maroon, who have recovered from a miserable Asian Cup campaign that saw them lose all three group matches, from which they conceded seven goals and scored only one.

Since then, 1-0 home victories have been achieved over Algeria and Slovenia, while in-form Northern Ireland were held to a 1-1 draw on Sunday afternoon thanks to a strike from substitute Karim Boudiaf late on.

Recent form: LLLWWD

Team News

Strachan is eager for his players to be match fit ahead of the clash with the Irish, but he will also be mindful of the fact that any knocks or injuries picked up against Qatar could result in withdrawal ahead of the trip to Dublin.

With that in mind, the Scottish boss is likely to mix up his starting lineup, which could give those on the fringes a chance to impress.

Aberdeen defender Mark Reynolds may be in line to make his international debut, with goalkeeper Craig Samson also pushing for inclusion for the first time.

As for the visitors, none of their recent lineups have included players born in Qatar as footballers of various descents have been drafted in to bolster the options available to head coach Jose Daniel Carreno.

Scotland possible starting lineup:
Samson; Martin, Reynolds, Berra, Robertson; Anya, Fletcher, Brown, Ritchie; Fletcher, Griffiths

Qatar possible starting lineup:
Burhan; Majid, Khoukhi, Ali, Hatem; Boudiaf, Muftah, Kangambu, Khalid, Muntari; Assadalla

Head To Head

This will be the first ever meeting between these two nations, although Qatar, as well as having played Northern Ireland recently, have also previously faced another of Scotland's British rivals.

They played host to Wales in the year 2000, when former Charlton Athletic midfielder John Robinson scored the only goal of the game for the away team.

We say: Scotland 2-0 Qatar

Despite the possibility of Strachan sending out an experimental side, Scotland are full of confidence right now, particularly in front of their own supporters. Qatar, to their credit, are also in good form, but they haven't come up against players that ply their trade in the English Premier League and Scottish Premiership too often.