The wait is almost over. Not just for the fans, but also the players, as Steve Clarke reveals his Scotland squad for the World Cup.
On Tuesday at 11am the national team boss will name his 26-man group that will take on Curacao and Bolivia in the final warm-up matches before it all gets under way in Boston. Yes, the World Cup.
Scotland – back on football’s biggest stage for the first time since 1998 – begin their campaign on June 14 against Haiti.
We know to expect a degree of loyalty from Clarke, so the core group who helped end the wait to reach a World Cup will be confident of a spot on the plane. However, there are others on the cusp, and by Clarke’s own admission, there’s even room for “an outsider”.
“Should he stay or should he go?” was the phrase used by the head coach when addressing his own future a couple of months ago. It is just as apt as we take a look at who is heading to North America, and who might be left at home…
The goalkeeper conundrum
Angus Gunn (L) and Craig Gordon have been Clarke’s main goalkeepers
Who to pick as his No 1 is not a new dilemma for Clarke.
Injuries and a lack of game time at club level have meant that, since the Euros, six players have been thrown the gloves – and the top two on that list have not been playing for their clubs.
Angus Gunn started all three group games at Euro 2024, and was again between the sticks at the start of the Nations League campaign that followed. An injury saw him drop out of the side, but he returned for the beginning of the World Cup qualifiers. However, there was another injury that meant he didn’t end that campaign either.
While it might seem he is No 1, after also featuring in March’s friendly against Japan, he has only seen 45 minutes of action at Nottingham Forest this season.
Angus Gunn started Scotland’s Nations League and World Cup qualification campaigns before injury
The problem for Clarke is that the man he has turned to more often than not in Gunn’s absence struggled for game time at his own club.
Craig Gordon, 43, stepped in for the remaining Nations League fixtures and during the World Cup qualifiers – but missed the last camp due to an injury. Shoulder issues and the impressive form of Hearts’ No 1 Alexander Schwolow limited Gordon to just three league appearances over the campaign.
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Craig Gordon made an outstanding save during this season to help Hearts beat Dundee
Scott Bain, who left Celtic for Falkirk last summer to increase his playing time, is the only option who played regularly for his club and was rewarded with his first Scotland appearance in seven years against the Ivory Coast in March. While he missed the Bairns’ last five league games with an ankle injury, he will be fit in time for the World Cup.
The 34-year-old was a second-half substitute against the Ivory Coast, replacing Rangers’ Liam Kelly, who has also been in the mix of late, However, at club level, he played second fiddle to Jack Butland and was limited to three cup appearances.
Scott Bain (L) and Liam Kelly (R) both featured against the Ivory Coast
Meanwhile, the likes of Cieran Slicker and Ross Doohan – who featured in friendlies last summer – are unlikely to be recalled.
Defensive decisions?
Andy Robertson is all but certain to captain Scotland on their World Cup return
Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Anthony Ralston, John Souttar, Scott McKenna, Jack Hendry and Aaron Hickey were in every World Cup qualifying squad, so you’d expect them to be boarding the plane to the USA.
The same could apply to Grant Hanley. The 34-year-old was in every squad for the World Cup qualifiers, plus the March games. However, the experienced defender did come off injured in Hibs’ defeat to Motherwell on Saturday.
Hibernian’s Grant Hanley had to be substituted off after picking up an injury against Motherwell
Nathan Patterson, Ross McCrorie and Dom Hyam all featured in the warm-up games, and will be in Clarke’s thoughts.
However, what about those who didn’t make the latest camp? Sassuolo’s Josh Doig and Max Johnston of Derby County were in recent squads and could look to force their way into the equation.
Could Steve Clarke recall Max Johnston to the Scotland squad?
While Hearts could be represented at both ends of the pitch come the summer, fans of the Scottish Premiership runners-up will feel the likes of Stuart Findlay and Harry Milne should reinforce Scotland’s defensive line too.
Midfield consistency
Scott McTominay’s incredible bicycle kick against Denmark sent Scotland on their way to victory and a spot at the World Cup
The strongest part of the Scotland team, on paper at least, is the midfield.
Ballon d’Or-nominated Scott McTominay elevated his icon status even further with the outrageous overhead kick opener against Denmark and is crucial to Scottish hopes this summer alongside the talismanic John McGinn.
In fact, if fit, the seven players who were in every squad for the qualifiers should make the final cut. That list includes Billy Gilmour, Ryan Christie, Lewis Ferguson, Ben Gannon-Doak and Kenny McLean – yes, the one who scored from the halfway line.
Kenny McLean’s goal from the halfway line will be a moment the Tartan Army will never forget
Gannon-Doak – who missed Euro 2024 due to injury – is the only player from that list who didn’t feature in the Japan and Ivory Coast squad. However, he is now back from the injury he picked up in the win over Denmark last November.
Ben Gannon-Doak was left out of Steve Clarke’s March squad to build up fitness following a long-term injury
While he offers pace in the wide areas that not many other Scotland players can, Clarke believes 19-year-old Findlay Curtis can offer “something similar” to Gannon-Doak.
The winger, who spent the second half of the season on loan at Kilmarnock from Rangers, was a surprise call-up for these warm-up games. He also continued to impress at Rugby Park with four goals in their final four games that secured safety.
Findlay Curtis scored five goals and provided one assist during his time at Kilmarnock
Meanwhile, Andy Irving returned to the fold in March and will be hoping he can force his way in after his move to Czech side Sparta Prague. Hibernian’s Josh Mulligan, Connor Barron of Rangers, Motherwell’s Elliot Watt and Falkirk’s Calvin Miller will also be among others hoping they have shown Clarke enough to be in his thoughts.
Striker surprise?
The forward area is likely to be Steve Clarke’s biggest conundrum.
Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes are the two strikers he has relied on most during his time in charge, and it would be no surprise if they are in his World Cup squad. However, their goalscoring ratio is a concern.
Lyndon Dykes (L) and Che Adams have almost 100 Scotland caps between them
Dykes missed the Euros with an ankle injury and has managed just one goal in his 14 international appearances since returning to the squad.
Adams, meanwhile, has netted in four of his last 27 Scotland matches. However, two of those came during the qualifiers for the World Cup and he is playing regularly for Torino, where he has five Serie A goals this season.
If Clarke needs goals, you’d expect him to turn to Lawrence Shankland. The Hearts captain missed the March games due to injury but scored 16 goals in a season where he almost fired the club to the league title.
Lawrence Shankland scored 20 goals across all competitions despite missing eight weeks due to injury
Based on the last four squads, Ipswich’s George Hirst is in the mix to take a fourth spot. The 27-year-old scored 11 times in the Sky Bet Championship, featured in every World Cup qualification squad, plus started the final of March’s warm-up matches.
Clarke will be without Tommy Conway, however. The Middlesbrough player, who had 13 goals to his name, limped off during the play-offs.
Southampton’s Ross Stewart remains a name on the lips of the Tartan Army, despite picking up his two caps in June 2022. He was injured for three months of this campaign, but came back to net six goals in the latter half of the campaign.
Hull City’s Oli McBurnie also wants in the squad, having scored 18 goals in 41 games this season – but last played for his national team in 2017.
Oli McBurnie is hoping to fire Hull City into the Premier League via the play-offs this weekend
Kieron Bowie has not featured for Scotland since his move from Hibernian to Serie A strugglers Hellas Verona in January, but has scored four goals in his last nine matches in Italy.
A bit closer to home, a couple of years after playing university football, Falkirk’s Barney Stewart will hope to have caught the eye too. He scored eight goals in 14 Premiership games, having also netted six times in 11 matches on loan at Dunfermline in the first half of the campaign.
There’s plenty for Clarke to weigh up and some big calls to make.
Scotland are World Cup-bound. When they’re there, the goal isn’t just making up the numbers – progression from the group stages at a major finals is the target. Clarke knows he needs to pick the correct group to deliver just that.
