If there was ever a time for Steve Clarke to experiment with his line-up then tonight’s match at Estádio Algarve would be it.
Scotland kick off their final EURO 2024 preparations tonight in the Algarve as they take on Gibraltar in their first of two international friendlies prior to the big match with Germany later this month.
Tonight’s opponents are ranked 203rd in the world and provide a chance for plenty of experimentation with the starting XI for the Scotland coaching set up. Although Steve Clarke does tend to stick with consistency he is going to have to make some big calls ahead of finals so it would stand to reason he uses tonight to take a look at some of the men who would otherwise occupy a place on the bench.
A change of formation may also be on the cards as the coaching staff see how they can get the best out of certain individuals. With that in mind, here is GlasgowWorld’s predicted Scotland XI for tonight’s friendly with Gibraltar:
Goalkeeper – Zander Clark
Angus Gunn will start between the sticks against Germany and probably in the friendly match with Finland later this week. Tonight though, we expect Steve Clarke to go with the Hearts stopper to give him a taste of action prior to the tournament. We may even seen Craig Gordon or Liam Kelly in the second half with one of the three keepers expected to be cut from the squad before getting on the plane.
Defence – Ralston/Souttar/Hanley/Robertson (C)
Steve Clarke needs to cut two players from his squad before the finals and with one of the four goalkeepers expected to be one the outfield player who misses out is the only major mystery. Souttar is one of the men considered most likely to be on the chopping block but if he does start tonight then you can expect he will be on the plane. That’s because, if the manager has already made a decision, then he is unlikely to waste valuable international minutes on someone who won’t be a part of the travelling contingent.
Grant Hanley has played around 10 minutes of senior football in the last three months and, given how important a player Clarke knows he can be at the back, you’d expect he will want to get as much minutes into his legs as possible. Hanley, you have to believe, is a dead certain to feature tonight.