Scotland are back in action tonight (just in case you’d missed it) as Steve Clarke’s side look to take a massive step towards a playoff spot for next year’s World Cup finals when they face Israel at Hampden – and the Tartan Army have shown their support by selling out the national stadium.
With a slender lead over Israel in the race for second place and a spot in the playoffs, a win tonight would be a huge result and leave fans dreaming of a first World Cup appearance since France 98.
Scotland have faced Israel six times since October 2018, coming out on top once in 90 minutes and once via penalties, so it will be a tough task if Clarke’s side are to come away with the win and solidify their grip on second place.
Clarke has almost a full-strength squad to choose from with only Grant Hanley missing through suspension from the original squad selected but there will be a few decisions for the manager to make ahead of kick-off.
While some positions seem nailed down, there are a couple of areas that will have given the manager something to think about in the last few days.
The likes of Craig Gordon, Kieran Tierney, Jack Hendry and skipper Andy Robertson are all surefire starters with Scott McTominay coming in to replace the influential Hanley at centre-back and Nathan Patterson handed another chance to impress on the right.
Scotland’s midfield trio looks set in stone just now with Billy Gilmour, John McGinn and Callum McGregor all likely to be given the nod to start again as Clarke looks to build a consistent partnership in the middle of the park.
Up front, Clarke has to decide which pairing he opts to go for and whether Kevin Nisbet, Ryan Christie, Ché Adams or Lyndon Dykes are chosen to lead the attack and, it seems likely the latter two will be who Clarke puts his faith in.
Here’s how we think Steve Clarke’s side will line up tonight for Scotland v Israel:
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