It’s almost time to stop waiting. The time has come for Scotland’s head coach Steve Clarke to make a decision. On Wednesday, he will name his preliminary Euro 2024 squad, which includes 28 players who could earn a trip to the big finals.
With several wildcards possible in an extended starting lineup, there is a lot of speculation as to who would be selected. In particular, there is a lot of interest in the right-back selection, as injuries sidelined first-choice players Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson.
How many goalkeepers will be chosen, if Stuart Armstrong and Grant Hanley are fit enough to play, and which forwards will be tasked with leading the country to Euro glory are among the other questions that need to be addressed.
With disappointment for the two who don’t make it, Clarke will keep a close eye on his team during practice and in warm-up games against Finland and Gilbraltar before deciding on the final 26 players who will fly to Germany this summer.
What to anticipate from Clarke’s squad announcement is as follows…
Goalkeepers
It is almost a given that Clarke will include four goalkeepers in his preliminary team given the increase to 28 players. Craig Gordon, a veteran of the Hearts who has been working hard to establish himself since recovering from a serious injury at the beginning of the year, is pleased with this development.
Together with Norwich goalkeeper Angus Gunn, Hearts teammate Zander Clark, and Motherwell’s Liam Kelly, the former Scotland number one was included in the four called up for the March friendly. For the tournament, that figure might drop to three as Gordon and Kelly are expected to compete for the last position behind Gunn and Clark.
After abandoning his English allegiance, Gunn made a name for himself as Scotland’s first-choice stopper throughout the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, and Clark has maintained the gloves ahead of Gordon at Hearts following an outstanding campaign in goal.
defense
How to handle Hickey and Patterson’s absence is Clarke’s biggest problem. Although losing his two first-choice right-backs is a huge setback, it has allowed others to make a move. Although Anthony Ralston has been a part of recent squads, he has made just eight starts in all competitions and has mostly been the Celtic bench behind Alistair Johnston.
Despite this, he participated in all ninety minutes of Saturday’s 3-2 victory over St Mirren and may draw from eight caps and one goal scored for his country. Who will join Ralston on the team is the question. After returning from injury, Ross McCrorie has had a fantastic second half of the season for Bristol City. He is a strong contender since, should the need arise, he can also play center-back. Like Ralston, Max Johnston has primarily played as a substitute despite winning a league and cup double with Sturm Graz in Austria.
Despite just being 20 years old, he has a promising future. Clark might opt to call up both and then select one to go to the championship game. Liam Palmer, who has played 38 games for Sheffield Wednesday in the English Championship this season but hasn’t had a cap since 2021, is still another potential choice.
The second big defensive question mark is Grant Hanley’s fitness, since he hasn’t played much for Norwich since his long-term injury came back in December. Based on a decision made during the pre-tournament camp regarding his fitness, it seems likely that he will be included in the 28. It’s a big help that Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney are both well and available after their recent injuries.
midfield
Lewis Ferguson had a fantastic season for Bologna in Serie A, so his absence is a blow to the player and the nation, but Clarke still has a lot of depth in the middle of the park. Following a gradual recovery from injury, Callum McGregor is back to his best form with Celtic, and the Tartan Army will be crossing their fingers that talisman Scott McTominay emerges uninjured from Manchester United’s FA Cup final against Manchester City this weekend.
After yet another extended injury layoff, Ryan Jack made his way back to the Rangers bench for the weekend’s draw against Hearts. He might get an opportunity to demonstrate his fitness during the warm-up camp. Another player who had a muscle injury that kept him out of action at the end of the Southampton season is Stuart Armstrong, who is expected to return and be featured.
After leading Aston Villa to the Champions League, John McGinn will be playing at full tilt, and Billy Gilmour has had his greatest Premier League season to date with Brighton.
Moving Forward
Lawrence Shankland spent a large portion of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign without ever being selected for the Scotland squad. Only after being added as a last-minute addition because of Che Adams’ injury did he score the equalizing goal against Georgia in November of last year. But after an award-winning season in which he scored 31 goals to lead the Tynecastle team to a third-place Premiership finish, the captain of Hearts may now be poised to lead the line in Germany.
If Adams from Southampton can fully recover from his calf injury, which kept him out of the Championship play-off semifinal match against West Brom, he will undoubtedly be included in the starting lineup. Despite not having had the greatest successful season for QPR, Lyndon Dykes has been an important member of the Scottish team and will be well worth a place on the aircraft.
While there have been calls for Tommy Conway to be promoted from the Under-21s, Clarke is expected to take four forwards to the Euros. James Forrest’s comeback in the final weeks of the season could see the Celtic winger reclaim his spot as a wildcard, especially since he provides much-needed width in the attack.
Prior to suffering an injury while playing for Millwall, Kevin Nisbet was a regular in the squad. Although he is again healthy, he has only played 22 minutes of football since January and may have hurt his chances of being called up for Euro 2024 after being benched by his club for disciplinary reasons.
Scotland’s estimated provisional roster for Euro 2024: The goalkeepers are Craig Gordon, Liam Kelly, Angus Gunn, and Zander Clark; the midfielders are Callum McGregor, Billy Gilmour, Kenny McLean, Scott McTominay, John McGinn, Ryan Christie, Stuart Armstrong; the forwards are Lawrence Shankland, Che Adams, Lyndon Dykes, and James Forrest; the defense is made up of Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Grant Hanley, Liam Cooper, Jack Hendry, Scott McKenna, Ryan Porteous, John Souttar, Anthony Ralston, Max Johnston, Ross McCrorie, and Greg Taylor.
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