Scotland v Denmark, 10th August 2011

The SFA have confirmed that Scotland will play Denmark on 10th August in a Vauxhall International Challenge Match.

Last year, of course, Scotland travelled to Sweden at the same stage of the season.

That trip produced both a number of managerial moaning-minnies and a bit of a doing for a makeshift Scotland side.

Different circumstances this time around though. The Denmark game will be played at Hampden. And it offers a last get together before Craig Levein's squad face what we should always now call "the must win double header" in September when Czech Republic and Lithuania come calling.

So the feelings of club manager's must be cast asunder, sacrificed for the greater good of our Euro 2012 hopes.

Strangely enough our recent record against Denmark has been honking.

In nine games between 1951 and 1975 we beat the Danes eight times.

But since Willie Ormond's side enjoyed a 3-1 victory at Hampden with goals from Bruce Rioch, Kenny Dalglish and Ted MacDougall the worm has turned. The pendulum has swung.

In the five most recent games Scotland haven't enjoyed a victory. Or a draw. Or even so much as goal.

Starting with the 1-0 defeat at the 1986 World Cup we've lost 2-0 and 1-0 in Copenhagen and endured two 1-0 defeats in Glasgow.

So slaying a bogey team, going where Alex Ferguson, Craig Brown (twice) and Berti Vogts (twice) failed to go, will be the order of the day for Levein.

Upsetting 25 years worth of results will be as good a way as any to build some momentum going into "the must win double-header."

Fingers crossed.

> Ranked 28th in the world, Denmark at 22 places above Scotland in FIFA's world order. That means they're three spots ahead of our Group I rivals Czech Republic who they drew 0-0 with last November.

In Group H of the Euro 2012 qualifying the Danes lie in third place on seven points after four games, behind Portugal on goal difference and three points adrift of table topping Norway.