Scotland international Robert Snodgrass believes that his nation could still clinch automatic qualification to the World Cup, should they managed to beat rivals England in their next qualifier.

The neighbours face off against each other on June 10th with the Scots currently six points adrift of the Three Lions.

Manager Gordon Strachan was on the cusp of losing his job during the initial stages after a 1-1 draw against Lithuania was coupled with successive 3-0 defeats to Slovakia and England. However, Chris Martins’ last winner against Slovenia in March has given the Scots a slim chance of making it to Russia next year.

Snodgrass, who joined West Ham United from Hull City in the second half of the season, feels his nation could be back in the hunt for qualification if they surprise Gareth Southgate’s men at Hampden Park, he said: “That was our objective at the start. It wasn’t to just fight for second place. We created a lot of chances against England in November and we would never have done that if we didn’t believe. We want to get there automatically, we want to beat England and we want to kick on.”

The Three Lions squad is studded with stars including Tottenham duo Dele Alli and Harry Kane, but Snodgrass insists that there is no need to be scared as the game could depend on who wants it the most, he added: “On the day, it will be about which team wants it the most. It will be about which team has that desire to get on the ball and make things happen.”

Scotland last qualified for the World Cup back in 1998, and the national have since fallen behind in the European division due to the emergence of the likes of Wales and Belgium. The game versus England could be make-or-break for the manager as well as the nation, who strive for more success following a period where they qualified for five consecutive World Cups – 1974-1990.