Scotland Euro 2024 squad: Ben Doak of Liverpool earns surprise call-up for provisional national team roster | Sporting News India

Scotland face a tough challenge at Euro 2024 as they attempt to reach the knockout phase of a major men’s tournament for the first time.

Steve Clarke’s side went out at the group stage of the previous European Championship, despite a 0-0 draw with eventual finalists England, and they must once again attempt to navigate a difficult first phase of the tournament in 2024.

However, a strong qualifying tournament — in which they secured their place at the finals in Germany with two rounds left — has given fans some confidence that they could reach the Round of 16 this year.

Scotland will face two warm-up matches before their Euros campaign gets going in mid-June. Before that time, head coach Clarke will have to whittle his provisional roster down to 26, meaning two players will miss out on a place at the finals.

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Scotland Euro 2024 squad, player roster

The big call was the inclusion of Liverpool teenager Ben Doak. The 18-year-old forward has never won a senior international cap and only made one Premier League appearance in 2023/24, but Clarke felt he was a gamble worth taking.

“Ben’s got a lot of talent. He catches your eye,” he told reporters. “His pace is something we haven’t got in abundance. He’s a young man, I’ve never had the chance to work with him. It feels like the right thing to do with the squad going from 23 to 26.”

Ross McCrorie is another uncapped player in the provisional squad, the Bristol City defender earning a call-up due to injuries to first-choice right-backs Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson.

Celtic’s James Forrest earned a recall after nearly three years in the wilderness at international level, while Rangers’ Ryan Jack will hope to be part of the final squad after missing out on Euro 2020.

Established stars Scott McTominay, Andrew Robertson, John McGinn and Billy Gilmour are all included.

Ages and caps correct as of squad announcement on May 22

How many players are in Euro 2024 squads?

Teams are permitted to name squads of up to 26 players — an increase of three from the previous tournament rules — with the minimum roster size set at 23.

UEFA regulations do not stipulate how many of those players must be goalkeepers.

Scotland Euro 2024 draw

Scotland were drawn into Group A for Euro 2024 and will have the challenge of kicking off the tournament with a match against host nation Germany on June 14.

The other teams in their pool are Hungary and Switzerland, ranked 26th and 19th in the world, respectively. It will be a huge challenge for Clarke’s team to get out of this group and reach the knockout rounds.

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Scotland Euro 2024 schedule, matches

Scotland begin preparations for the Euros with a warm-up match against Gibraltar in Faro, Portugal on June 3. Four days later, they host Finland in a friendly in Glasgow before the final squad then travels to Germany, where they will be based in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a ski resort in the Bavarian mountains.

Their first match of the Euros against the host nation is on June 14 in Munich.

Scotland Euro 2024 warm-up and tournament match schedule

Can Scotland replace players on their Euro 2024 roster?

Once the final roster has been made official, changes can only be made due to injury or illness up until the team’s opening match of the tournament.

UEFA’s tournament regulations state: “Should listed players or goalkeepers become seriously injured or ill, they may only be substituted if both their team doctor and a doctor from the UEFA Medical Committee confirm that the injury or illness is sufficiently serious to prevent them from taking part in the final tournament.”

While any outfield players must be replaced prior to their team’s opening match, goalkeepers can be changed prior to their next scheduled game once the tournament is underway.