Charlie Nicholas believes Scotland's Euro2016 hopes took a slight dent on the weekend.
Gordon Strachan's men managed a 6-1 win over UEFA minnows Gibraltar in Glasgow which took them to 10 points from five fixtures but their top-two chances were damaged when rivals Republic of Ireland fought back for a 1-1 draw with Poland on Sunday.
The result leaves the Poles on top of Group D, one point ahead of World Cup winners Germany, with the Scots behind on goal difference and ahead of the Irish by two points.
The pair clash in the next fixture in Dublin in June which leads former Scotland and Arsenal striker Nicholas to believe that Strachan's men are in for a massive task of clinching the play-off spot over Martin O'Neill's side.
"Even if Ireland had lost against Poland, the head-to-head that's coming up in June in Dublin was still going to be crucial for the two of us," he told Sky Sports.
"If we get a draw in that game, that keeps us ahead of Ireland, but Poland have got a home tie against Georgia and Germany play Gibraltar, so they're going to pull further away.
"We're fighting the Republic directly for third spot."
Nicholas added: "It's been a pretty exciting campaign for us and that's the first time I can say that in a long time.
"But I still feel the Republic, in Dublin with their support, have the advantage. They're still a strong side.
"Yes, we have Germany and Poland at home, but they're going to be the top two teams in the group."
