Scotland manager Steve Clarke faces a sweat over the fitness of Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney and QPR striker Lyndon Dykes ahead of Tuesday’s squad reveal for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers with Moldova and Denmark.
With Clarke’s side needing to win one of the two games to secure a playoff spot, he could be going into both of them without Tierney and Dykes after injuries to both.
(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Tierney’s last appearance for the Gunners came in the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on October 18 with Nuno Tavares deputising for Mikel Arteta’s side – with the Arsenal boss admitting he doesn’t know when the Scotland star will be fit
“Well he didn’t train with the team yesterday. He still wasn’t feeling good,” said Arteta on Friday.
“He is still in pain. He is not comfortable when he is running, so he was struggling.
“We are trying to help him as much as possible. We need him back and I don’t know when that will be.”
Dykes played, and scored, for QPR on Friday night but was pictured in a protective boot after the 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.
The striker is suspended for the Moldova clash so would have missed out anyway but would almost certainly have been involved against Denmark in the second fixture.
Dykes has scored in his last four Scotland appearances, including the winner against Faroe Islands last time out, and his absence could hand a chance to the likes of Kevin Nisbet and Che Adams to be paired in attack.
It would also see a spot in the squad open up – with Tony Watt, Ryan Hardie and a few others all being touted by their respective club bosses of deserving a place in Clarke’s squad.
With the squad revealed tomorrow, Clarke will be hoping for some good news in the next 24 hours.
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