Soccer

New-look squad amid injury crisis – Croatia v Scotland talking points

Steve Clarke’s side are without a host of regulars.

Scotland are beset by injuries ahead of their match against Croatia
Scotland are beset by injuries ahead of their match against Croatia (Andrew Milligan/PA)
By Ronnie Esplin, PA, Zagreb

Scotland take on Croatia in the Nations League on Saturday.

Steve Clarke’s side have lost their first two games in the competition to Poland and Portugal.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the key talking points ahead of the game.

Unfamiliar squad

The Scotland squad has been decimated by injuries, with James Forrest confirmed as the latest absentee on Friday. Aaron Hickey, Nathan Patterson, Ross McCrorie, Jack Hendry, Kieran Tierney, Scott McKenna, John McGinn, Lewis Ferguson and Tommy Conway were absent from the initial squad named by Clarke. They were joined by Angus Gunn, Greg Taylor and Lawrence Shankland. who were replaced by uncapped Kilmarnock goalkeeper Robby McCrorie and Aberdeen left-back Jack MacKenzie, who has been called up for the first time, with Dons team mate Kevin Nisbet added later. Clarke originally included three new faces – West Ham midfielder Andy Irving, Preston centre-back Liam Lindsay and Aberdeen right-back Nicky Devlin. The squad has a makeshift look about it. Keeper Jon McCracken has yet to win a cap which means there will be six players looking to make their debuts.

Goalkeepers

Craig Gordon looks likely to play in goal .
Craig Gordon looks likely to play in goal . (Andrew Milligan/PA)

All areas of the pitch have been affected by injuries. Scotland now have none of their three Euro 2024 keepers in the squad, with Hearts’ Zander Clark and Rangers’ Liam Kelly not currently playing for their clubs. Gunn had established himself as number one, with Craig Gordon losing his place to Clark at Hearts. However, the 41-year-old has won back his place at Tynecastle and will look to add to his 75 caps to date. Kilmarnock’s 26-year-old McCrorie and Dundee’s 24-year-old McCracken have yet to be capped and Clarke is likely to bring Gordon back.

Who will be key?

With so many players missing, Clarke has to look to his big names for the trip to Zagreb. Captain and left-back Andrew Robertson is never afraid to take responsibility. In midfield, Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay, both now playing in Serie A with Napoli, will bring good form to Croatia. Striker Che Adams has also had a good start to life in Italy with Torino, where he has impressed since his move from Southampton, scoring four goals in nine appearances.

Form

Scotland were beaten at home by Poland in their Nations League opener .
Scotland were beaten at home by Poland in their Nations League opener . (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Scotland go into the game in terrible form. The Tartan Army were left lamenting the performances at the Euros in Germany, where the Scots ended up bottom of their group with one point from three fixtures, which brought plenty of criticism to Clarke’s door. The Nations League campaign began with a 3-2 home defeat by Poland and a 2-1 loss to Portugal in Lisbon. The Scots are now staring at one win in 14 games – a 2-0 friendly victory over Gibraltar in Portugal. There are no easy games on the horizon, with the visit of Portugal to Hampden Park next Tuesday before the final double-header against Croatia and Poland in November.