Scotland squad dilemmas await: Two wildcards, the uncapped Celtic conundrum, injured stars return

Steve Clarke will name his Scotland squad on Tuesday for the first time this year ahead of the Nations League A relegation play-off against Greece later this month.

The Scots face a two-legged tie to preserve their status in the highest tier of the competition, with a trip to Piraeus on Thursday, March 20 followed by the return match at Hampden on Sunday, March 23.

It will be the start of a huge 2025 for the national team, with two June friendlies against Iceland and Liechtenstein followed by the World Cup qualification campaign against either Portugal or Denmark, Greece and Belarus.

Clarke last selected a Scotland squad in November and we take a look at who he may include this time around.

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke will name his squad on Tuesday. | Getty Images

Goalkeepers

Veteran Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon ended last year as Scotland's No 1, playing the past four matches in a remarkable return to the international set-up given he was left out of the Euro 2024 squad. The 42-year-old benefitted from an injury to Angus Gunn, who had secured his place in the starting XI prior to picking up a knock on club duty with Norwich City.

Gunn is now fit and playing regularly for the Canaries, so it appears a straight fight between the two for the gloves.

There is also intrigue on which other keeper will be selected. Liam Kelly and Zander Clark were part of the European Championships set-up but both now play second fiddle at Rangers and Hearts respectively.

Kilmarnock’s Robby McCrorie and Dundee’s Jon McCracken both made squads last year but have struggled to become permanent No 1s, while Cieran Slicker - a mainstay at under-21 level - is out of the first-team picture at Ipswich Town.

One name that has emerged as a potential option is Chicago Fire No 1 Chris Brady, who qualifies for Scotland and has made no secret of his desire to play international football. The 21-year-old is one of the form keepers in the MLS and it has been reported in the American press that Clarke has held discussions with him.

Chicago Fire's Chris Brady qualifies for Scotland. | Getty Images

Defenders

Clarke will surely be boosted by the return to fitness of three first-team defenders who missed much of last year due to serious injury.

Kieran Tierney is back in the Arsenal set-up after rupturing his hamstring at the Euros and is set to be included. Right-backs Nathan Patterson and Aaron Hickey also suffered significant muscle injuries that denied them the chance to play last year and are both back in contention with their clubs. Patterson is on the fringes of the Everton first team, while Hickey played for the first time in 489 days for Brentford’s B team at the end of last month, scoring a goal.

This squad probably comes too soon for the ex-Hearts man, but Patterson will hope to make his return and push Celtic’s Anthony Ralston for the starting right-back spot. Aberdeen’s Nicky Devlin and Sturm Graz’s Max Johnston are also in contention, but Ross McCrorie recently picked up an injury at Bristol City and is a doubt.

On the other flank, Tierney’s return to fitness gives Clarke a plethora of options at left-back. Captain Andy Robertson is an automatic starter and there is also Celtic defender Greg Taylor, although he has recently lost his place at club level to Jeffrey Schlupp. Uncapped duo Josh Doig (Sassuolo) and James Penrice (Hearts) have also been performing well at club level.

At centre-half, John Souttar’s comeback from injury at Rangers is timely and he will hope to continue his fruitful partnership alongside 33-year-old Grant Hanley, who left Norwich in January for Birmingham City in search of more first-team football - although he has been unable to break through at the Blues.

Kieran Tierney has been playing for Arsenal. | Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Scott McKenna continues to be a regular for Las Palmas in La Liga and is likely to be joined in the squad by Al-Ettifaq’s Jack Hendry. Ryan Porteous is also back in the first-team picture after moving on loan to Preston from Watford, although he has not played for Scotland since being sent off against Germany in the opening match of the Euros.

Liam Lindsay (Preston) and Liam Cooper (CSKA Sofia) are on the fringes of the squad but with Tierney back in the fold, they are unlikely to be included.

Midfielders

This is undoubtedly Scotland’s most competitive sector of the squad and Clarke’s options have been enhanced further by the return to fitness of Bologna captain Lewis Ferguson. The 25-year-old has not been involved at international level since March due to an ACL injury, but the former Aberdeen man is now fit and will no doubt be on the premises.

He is not the only Scottish midfielder doing well in Italy’s Serie A. Scott McTominay starts every week for Napoli and Billy Gilmour has also recently won his place back in Antonio Conte’s team. Gli Azzurri are currently second in the league, a point behind defending champions Internazionale.

McTominay came off with a groin issue on Sunday afternoon in the 2-1 win over Fiorentina, but Conte revealed afterwards that the injury is down to fatigue and that there are no major concerns.

Ryan Christie has been in excellent form for Bournemouth this season, although his club manager Andoni Iraola said last week that the 30-year-old is dealing with a chronic groin issue that will require surgery. He played in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham, though, and should be available to Clarke.

Scott McTominay has been in excellent form for Napoli. | Getty Images

John McGinn continues to excel as captain of Aston Villa and Norwich skipper Kenny McLean timed his return from a recent injury well by coming on as a sub over the weekend. The 33-year-old would take his cap tally to 50 should he play both matches against the Greeks.

Vancouver Whitecaps playmaker Ryan Gauld is struggling with injury and may miss out, while his former club teammate Stuart Armstrong - a late addition to the last squad - is back in British football with Sheffield Wednesday. West Ham’s Andy Irving and Rangers’ Connor Barron will also hope to be included, while Celtic’s uncapped Luke McCowan continues to impress during his first season with the champions and could force his way into the reckoning.

Forwards

Scotland have injury issues in this department, with the most notable being for teenage winger Ben Doak, who made such a transformative impact on the team last year. The 19-year-old had been in good form on loan at Middlesbrough, but he underwent surgery on his thigh last week and has returned to parent club Liverpool. He could miss the remainder of the season.

Striker Lyndon Dykes is also set to miss out after hurting his calf last month while playing for Birmingham City, while Lewis Morgan has fitness issues at New York Red Bulls in the MLS, although the exact nature of his injury has not been disclosed.

Ipswich's George Hirst is on Scotland's radar. | Getty Images

This leaves Scotland light in the attacking areas of the team. Che Adams has scored nine goals for Torino in Serie A this season and is set to be included alongside Middlesbrough’s Tommy Conway as the options at No 9. While Lawrence Shankland has not scored regularly for Hearts this season and is being used as an attacking midfielder more often at club level, he is also likely to keep his place.

Aberdeen striker Kevin Nisbet has rediscovered the goal trail recently and could force his way back into contention, although Clarke has been casting his eye over Ipswich Town striker George Hirst in recent weeks. The 26-year-old 6ft 3in striker qualifies for Scotland through his grandfather and is the son of former England internationalist David Hirst.