Scotland will go into the biggest game of their cycle without their captain. Caroline Weir has suffered a setback in her recovery from a muscle injury and misses the World Cup play-off final against Sweden, a tie that could put Melissa Andreatta's side on the plane to Brazil 2027.
It is a heavy loss. Weir has 32 goals in 122 appearances for her country, and the BBC rightly calls her the influential presence in that midfield. She pulled up in the warm-up before the win over the Czech Republic in Paisley a month ago and has not played for Lyon since.
McAulay out too, two late call-ups
Weir isn't the only absentee. Aston Villa forward Mia McAulay is missing with a recent calf problem. In come Newcastle's Beth Lumsden and Ipswich striker Eilidh Adams.
Andreatta sounded like a coach who had already moved on. She was disappointed for Weir, she said, because the captain loves this team, but the focus is on the players who are available and on doing "whatever it takes" to land on the right side of the result. The squad still has plenty of experience in it: Erin Cuthbert from Chelsea, Liverpool's Sam Kerr, Claire Emslie at Angel City and Sandy MacIver in goal from Washington Spirit, among others.
Sweden, of all teams
The draw did Scotland no favours. Sweden have been at every Women's World Cup since the first one in 1991 and finished third at each of the last two. They come to Paisley for the first leg on 1 December, with the return in Stockholm on 5 December. BBC Scotland shows the home game and BBC ALBA has the second leg.
Andreatta isn't flinching. "We don't fear anybody," she said, adding that her confidence comes from preparation and experience, and that the squad has shown its character already.
What winning actually gets you
There's a catch even if Scotland pull it off. Winning the play-off final could secure a place at Brazil 2027, but there remains the possibility that Europe's lowest-ranked play-off winner faces an intercontinental play-off in February. So two legs against Sweden might not be the end of it. Without Weir, getting through those two legs looks hard enough. My honest read: Scotland need a lead to take to Stockholm, and that means the Paisley crowd has to drag them over the line on 1 December.
Fixture facts: Women's World Cup 2027 play-off final. First leg: Scotland v Sweden, Paisley, 1 December. Second leg: Sweden v Scotland, Stockholm, 5 December. Out: Caroline Weir (muscle), Mia McAulay (calf). Called up: Beth Lumsden (Newcastle), Eilidh Adams (Ipswich). Source: BBC Sport.
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