Scotland left with 3 key decisions ahead of Germany Euro 2024 opener - now is time to savour moment

Next stop, Germany. The waiting is finally over for Steve Clarke and his Scotland squad. On Sunday evening they will arrive at their Garmisch-Partenkirchen base and being part of Euro 2024 will feel very real indeed.

In less than a week, Scotland take on Germany in the tournament opener in Munich. Friday, June 14 has been date looming in the minds of Scottish football fans since the draw was made in December. Scotland's journey to this point has been littered with potholes, of that there is no doubt. Poor form and injuries have not made life easy for Clarke since qualification was secured last autumn. They arrive in Bavaria diminished but not depleted.

Clarke will be glad that Friday night's 2-2 draw with Finland did not produce any further casualties after forwards Lyndon Dykes and Ben Doak withdrew from the provisional squad due to injuries. Dykes, Scotland's only bona fide target man, will be particularly missed. Tommy Conway and Lewis Morgan are the beneficiaries, if you can call it that, of the duo's misfortune. Conway made his debut against the Finns and looked lively in attack, as did Morgan - six years on from his last Scotland appearance. They are not Euro 2024 starters but offer wildcard forward options from the bench,

Clarke will no doubt have winced when Tony Ralston went down injured during the second half against Finland. The last thing the head coach needs is another injured right-back, after his principal options in Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson failed to even make the first cut due to hamstring injuries. Their absence means that Clarke has a bit of a dilemma on his hands as to who starts in that position. Ross McCrorie has come in after a strong second half of the season at Bristol City, winning his first cap against Gibraltar. But Ralston is a more experienced member of the squad and while he largely plays second fiddle at club level to Alistair Johnston at Celtic, he is likely to get the nod at the Allianz Arena.

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One wonders whether we saw the guts of the Scotland team to face Germany against the Finns. Let's start at the back. Angus Gunn will play in goal, with Ralston and captain Andy Robertson at right and left wing-back respectively. At centre-half, Kieran Tierney is booked in on the left of a three. Boy did he play well against the Finns, a reminder of what a player he is. Jack Hendry should be one of the centre halves and that leaves one more vacancy in defence. Has Grant Hanley, on the back of winning his 50th cap, jumped ahead of Ryan Porteous in the queue? Clarke likes Hanley's no-nonsense approach to defending and has started both warm-up matches.

Midfield is interesting. Billy Gilmour, Callum McGregor, John McGinn and Ryan Christie were deployed against Finland. All have strong claims to start against Germany. It is hard to imagine McGregor and McGinn not being involved. Gilmour's composure and passing ability is such a valuable commodity, while Christie scored against Gibraltar and comes into the Scotland squad on the back of an excellent season at Bournemouth. Much will depend on the fitness of Scott McTominay, Scotland's top goalscorer in the qualification phase. He was left wrapped up in his training gear against Finland and while Clarke believes he will be good to go in Munich, the injury he picked up for Manchester United in last month's FA Cup final continues to be of slight concern.

Striker Che Adams was not risked against Finland either. One suspects this was a cotton-wool job, not taking any risks with the main man in attack. While Lawrence Shankland started both warm-up games and scored a good header against Finland, he does not offer the same movement and energy of Adams, who himself bagged a goal in a brief cameo against Gibraltar. Adams is a pest for defenders as he constantly works channels and is adept at bringing midfielders into the game. He will be vital for Scotland against Germany.

Surely all injury gods have played their part for Scotland now, and there will be no more training-ground mishaps. It was sad to see Lyndon Dykes on TV duty on Friday rather than in a playing capacity, and while he put on a brave face in front of the cameras, one has to feel for the amiable QPR hitman, who was earmarked for a big role in Germany.

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Craig Gordon and John Souttar have reason for glum faces, too. Gordon is the unlucky goalkeeper from four to face the axe. His lack of game-time at Hearts and not being part of the qualification squad due to injury were the principal reasons for Zander Clark and Liam Kelly joining Gunn on the plane. Gordon was visibly emotional as he came on as a sub on Friday for his 75th cap. His omission will raise eyebrows among some members of the Tartan Army but at 41-years-old, he is not the Gordon of old. Leaving Souttar at home will sting the 27-year-old centre-half, whose fitness issues towards the end of Rangers' season no doubt did him no favours.

Leaving those two out and the difficult conversations with them are the part of the job Clarke will not like - but that's the price of success. It is better to have that conundrum than not have it at all. More tricky posers come as he compiles likely XIs for Germany, Switzerland and Hungary, Scotland's three Group A opponents.

Clarke hit out at 'Negative Normans' after criticism of the performance in the 2-0 win over Gibraltar. But that is Scotland's sole victory in nine outings. And in the midst of the farewell match against Finland, Scotland lost a two-goal lead. It is hard to conclude anything other than regression in the past year. Regardless, Clarke has urged a nation to get behind the team and enjoy the ride. Scotland are there, at a major tournament. Now is the time to savour it.