Scotland team to play Spain: Two changes likely but continuity could be just as important

Continuity candidate is a bit of a buzz phrase in Scotland right now owing to the current political machinations. In the footballing sphere too, though, Steve Clarke appears to have no shortage of these when it comes to selecting a starting XI to face Spain.
Scott McTominay may be the only voluntary change Scotland manager Steve Clarke considers for Spain's visit. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)Scott McTominay may be the only voluntary change Scotland manager Steve Clarke considers for Spain's visit. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)
Scott McTominay may be the only voluntary change Scotland manager Steve Clarke considers for Spain's visit. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

Among the Tartan Army, there seemed an oddly begrudging assessment of Scotland’s 3-0 success over Cyprus in the opening qualifier of their Euro 2024 campaign. It may have required a late double from Scott McTominay to put a sheen on the outcome, but Clarke’s men never appeared in any danger of letting a win slip from the moment John McGinn put them ahead in the 21st minute. The competent and largely controlled home performance hardly provided countless moments to have the near-full Hampden springing up from their seats. However, not one of the 15 players Clarke utlised ought to have had the punters jumping up to jazz them, at least.

As a result, the Scotland manager needn’t contemplate many tweaks from the weekend for the biggie of this double header. He has hinted at that pre-match, for reasons surely not difficult to comprehend. There will be at least one enforced change. The calf injury that forced Che Adams to return to Southampton means Lyndon Dykes will take over in the lone striker role. McTominay’s two-goal salvo from the bench at the weekend appears certain to earn him a start against the Spanish, but aside from the inclusion of these two, it appears Clarke will keep faith with the players who delivered what was asked of them.

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Accommodating the Manchester United midfielder will require Stuart Armstrong to drop to the bench, even when the Southampton attacker was a purposeful presence against Cyprus. Simply for being more defensively minded than Armstrong, McTominay is better suited to an encounter in which Scotland will be starved of possession for concerted spells. For that reason, it would seem prudent to link Callum McGregor and Ryan Jack again to operate as - what is now called - a double pivot. In that shape McTominay would be deployed slightly more advanced, though in a position where he would be equally capable of dropping deep should the defensive screen of a triple pivot be required. As, let’s be realistic, it is going to be across an exacting assignment.

Probable Scotland team: Gunn; Porteous, Hanley, Tierney; Hickey, Jack, McTominay, McGregor; McGinn; Dykes.

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