Scotland team v Croatia: Three changes Steve Clarke must consider with big name benched

Steve Clarke and his Scotland players will aim to build on the encouraging goalless draw against Portugal last month in their two remaining Nations League fixtures.

Scotland host Croatia at Hampden on Friday before concluding their campaign away to Poland on Monday with at least one win required to avoid the stigma of going the full calendar year without a competitive victory. Currently bottom of Group A1 on one point, Scotland can still finish as high as second, providing they win both matches, while three or four points could be enough to claim third and avoid relegation back to Nations League B.

As is always the case, Clarke faces big decisions over his starting line-up to face Croatia. One change will be enforced from the side that shut out Cristiano Ronaldo and co with Torino striker Che Adams withdrawing from the squad due to a hamstring injury. That will leave Lyndon Dykes, Lawrence Shankland and Tommy Conway to vie for the starting slot up front.

Could Tommy Conway start for Scotland against Croatia following the withdrawal of Che Adams? (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group

Clarke would normally turn to Dykes in Adams' absence, however, the Birmingham City striker has started only three matches in England’s third tier since his summer move from QPR with his only goal coming in a 7-1 win over Fulham Under-21s in the EFL Trophy. Nor has he scored for Scotland in the past 17 months. But what the Australian-born front man does have on his side is the trust of the manager alongside his 40 caps and nine goals since pledging allegiance in 2020. Shankland is also suffering a goal drought with Hearts this season so Middlesbrough youngster Conway is the most in-form striker in the squad with five goals in 11 Championship appearances this season. Conway has yet to start a match for Scotland with his two caps to date coming off the bench but with Adams out and Dykes and Shankland struggling with their clubs, it feels the right time for Clarke to give the youngster his chance.

Clarke also faces a dilemma in midfield. His five-man engine room of Billy Gilmour, Kenny McLean, Scott McTominay, Ryan Christie and Ben Doak functioned admirably against both Portugal and Croatia last month. So where does John McGinn fit in? The Aston Villa captain returns from injury after missing the previous camp, but could he find himself benched, as he was by Unai Emery for the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday? There is an argument for Doak to step aside for the man with 18 goals in 71 caps but the 19-year-old Liverpool winger is running amok at loan club Middlesbrough, tormenting Championship defenders and notching three assists in his last two matches. He has brought some much-needed pace to the national side and, in a game Scotland need to win, it would seem folly to drop one of our main attacking weapons. The positions of McTominay and Gilmour are undisputed, helping Napoli to the top of Serie A only cementing their status as Scotland superstars. That could leave Kenny McLean and Ryan Christie vulnerable to losing their place if Clarke feels that that McGinn is too important to leave out although his goalscoring contributions of the past have diminished somewhat in recent times with McTominay taking over as the midfield talisman in that regard.

Scott McKenna has been in impressive form for Las Palmas in La Liga - but will either John Souttar or Grant Hanley be dropped after the clean sheet against Portugal? (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group) | SNS Group

The clean sheet against Portugal certainly pushes the case for an unchanged defence, but Grant Hanley's ongoing struggle for game-time at Norwich City is a concern. The centre-back, who turns 33 next week, has only played 15 minutes for his club since the last international break and hasn't started since August. He has been an unused substitute on no fewer than 12 occasions this term. It is a huge ask for anyone to step in from the cold into an international starting line-up, even more so to play on his weaker left side. Hanley managed it in the last camp, and did a fine job alongside John Souttar, but it was a needs-must scenario with injuries robbing Clarke of Scott McKenna and Jack Hendry. With both players back it would seem sensible to return to a natural centre-back pairing of right and left footers. Particularly as the form of McKenna can hardly be ignored with the 27-year-old starting every week in La Liga and helping Las Palmas climb out of the relegation zone with three wins in their last four matches. A centre-back pairing of Souttar and McKenna would provide Scotland with two match-fit options but Clarke has shown he has a soft spot for Hanley, sticking by the defender even in spite of his aberration in the opening group match against Poland in conceding a needless penalty in added time to turn a 2-2 draw into a 3-2 defeat.

Right-back remains a problem position for Scotland due to Aaron Hickey’s long-term absence and Nathan Patterson still being in the early stages of his Everton comeback. Anthony Ralston is the favourite to start despite falling into the same category as Dykes and Hanley in terms of lack of club minutes. He did, however, start his first league game of the season for Celtic against Dundee at the end of October and also appeared as a substitute in the 2-0 win at Kilmarnock on Sunday. Ralston has contributed some solid displays in the Nations League, however, Nicky Devlin, who is excelling at Aberdeen this season, has earned the right to be considered for a starting shot. He came off the bench to win his first cap against Portugal and made a goal-saving block and anyone watching the Dons will testify that he is one of the main men behind their stunning start to the season under Jimmy Thelin. Captain Andy Robertson will lead the side from left-back while the veteran Craig Gordon will earn cap number 78 as he continues to enjoy an international renaissance at the age of 41 in deputising for the injured Angus Gunn.

My Scotland XI to face Croatia (4-2-3-1): Gordon; Devlin, Souttar, McKenna, Robertson; McLean, Gilmour; Christie, McTominay, Doak; Conway.