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Scotland will play host to Macedonia on Saturday, September 5th in a matchup of second place teams in Group 9 of World Cup qualifying. Both teams trail Netherlands, who have 21 points, in Group 9 and are tied at seven points each. Kick off will be at 15:00 local time at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland.

Neither team come into the match firing on all cylinders, in fact the play of both teams has been rather sluggish. Scotland come into the match with a record of 2-1-3 in their last six International matchups. The Scots have had a rough time finding the back of the net. They've been shutout four times and scored only four goals in the six matches. Macedonia aren't fairing much better as they come in with a record of 1-2-3 in their last six games. Macedonia have been shutout two times and scored six goals in their previous six.

All the talk ahead of the matchup between Scotland and Macedonia is the future of Scotland manager George Burley. Burley's head appears to be resting softly on the chopping block after last month’s 4-0 loss to Norway. Rumors are swirling that a loss to Macedonia, which would assure Scotland of missing the World Cup, will result in Burley's removal as manager. Adding fuel to the fire, Scotland's assistant manager Terry Butcher has accused Macedonia's star player Goran Pandev of being a diver. Butcher's comments have raised ire from Macedonian players and with their World Cup dreams on the line, the last thing Scotland needed was an opponent with extra incentive to beat them.

Both teams need a win in this game to secure second place in their group and keep alive their chances of making the World Cup. A loss by either side all but assures they will be watching next year's World Cup from the comfort of their homes.