Scotland Euro 2024 squad predicted as Clarke faces big questions ahead of reveal

THE time is almost here.

Tomorrow, Steve Clarke will name his provisional 28-man Scotland squad for Euro 2024.

The national team boss will have to trim the list down to 26 before the tournament kicks off.

That’s still an increase from Uefa‘s initial plans for a 23-man limit.

We already know a few players who WON’T be making it to Germany.

Lewis Ferguson was ruled out in heartbreaking circumstances after a stellar season with Bologna in Italy‘s Serie A.

Also who could be missing from the midfield is veteran Stuart Armstrong, who was struck down by injury towards the end of Southampton‘s promotion push.

Likewise, centre-back Grant Hanley will be unavailable after an injury-hit season with Norwich.

And we’ve gone from a dearth of options at right-back to two good ones and back again following injuries to Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson.

But let’s focus on who WILL be on the plane, so without further ado, here is SunSport’s predicted final Euros squad.

Goalkeepers

Clarke copped some flak by picking four goalkeepers for the recent friendlies against the Netherlands and Northern Ireland.

With Craig Gordon returning from a broken leg, Clarke gave him a recall alongside Hearts colleague Zander Clark.

Angus Gunn and Liam Kelly retained their positions in the goalie room.

For Germany it would be a hard sell to take include goalkeepers from a roster of 26 (England Gareth Southgate named four in his 33-man provisional squad but it’s likely one misses out once the final list is in).

Gunn hasn’t put a foot (or a hand) wrong since becoming Clarke’s No.1.

Gordon is invaluable thanks to his experience and it’s inconceivable that Clarke would take him and leave his team mate at home.

So we reckon Motherwell ace Kelly – soon to be returning to Rangers – will be the odd man out.

He will likely be included in the initial 28-man list however, just in case there’s an injury.

IN: Gunn, Clark, Gordon, (Kelly)*

*Indicates part of 28-man squad announced tomorrow but not final 26-man squad

Defenders

This is where the headaches begin.

We told you last week how Brentford right-back Hickey had lost his battle to be fit for the Euros.

With Everton ace Patterson also out, it suddenly meant Scotland were light on experience and quality at the position.

Celtic star Anthony Ralston has only six caps and isn’t a regular for the Hoops but he will keep his place in Clarke’s squad, having been called up last time out.

A recall for Motherwell’s Stephen O’Donnell seems unlikely. He has 26 caps and played at the last Euros, but hasn’t represented the national team for two years now.

That leaves a couple of wildcards in the offing such as Sturm Graz starlet Max Johnston and Bristol City utility man Ross McCrorie, who has been operating as a right-back or right wing-back in recent times for the Robins.

Ex-Motherwell talent Johnston made history with Sturm Graz in the last few days, helping them win the league and secure Champions League football for next season but McCrorie has more experience.

Elsewhere, Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney are stick-ons as are centre-backs Jack Hendry, Ryan Porteous and John Souttar.

The question marks will be over Liam Cooper and Scott McKenna, both of whom are left-sided but with the bump to 26 players, both men can find a seat on the plane.

Greg Taylor is another likely to benefit from the increase to 26 players as he will be viewed as Robertson’s replacement more so than Tierney.

IN: Ralston, Robertson, Cooper, Tierney, Hendry, Porteous, McKenna, Souttar, McCrorie, Taylor

Midfielders

Ferguson’s injury was a bitter blow as he could have been a hidden gem for Scotland while Armstrong’s tactical versatility meant he could fulfil a number of roles, often off the bench.

The truth is though that neither player was a nailed-on starter for Clarke and the bulk of his midfield remains intact (and Armstrong may be given a chance to prove his fitness thanks to the increased squad size).

Scott McTominay and John McGinn have been the talismen for Scotland in recent years and that is set to continue in Germany.

Billy Gilmour helps make the midfield tick while Callum McGregor has recovered from injury in time to help Celtic over the line in the Premiership title race and get some minutes in his legs before the summer.

Ryan Christie is sometimes used in a more attacking or wide role for his country that he is at club level but he remains a favourite of Clarke thanks to his workrate no matter where he plays.

Kenny McLean scored one of the most important goals of the qualifying campaign and despite missing out on promotion with Norwich, he’ll be on the plane for Scotland.

The big question in midfield for Clarke is whether to recall Ryan Jack or give Aberdeen youngster Connor Barron a stunning first call-up.

Rangers midfielder Jack has struggled with injuries but is trusted by Clarke when fit and played a key role in the run to Euro 2020. No-one else can do what he does at the base of a midfield in terms of breaking up play, recycling possession and covering ground for team mates.

We revealed last week that Barron was firmly on Clarke’s radar.

Barron is probably the closest thing to Jack and the Under-21s captain has played plenty of football this season, unlike the Gers man.

Another wildcard in the middle of the pitch could be Kilmarnock‘s Danny Armstrong, who was one of the best players in the Premiership this past season and offers something different on the wing.

But we reckon he might just miss out on favour of a similar player with more experience and versatility (more on him later).

IN: McTominay, McGinn, McGregor, Christie, Gilmour, McLean, Barron, S. Armstrong

Forwards

This is perhaps the most intriguing area of the squad with lots of unanswered questions.

Lyndon Dykes, Che Adams and Lawrence Shankland are shoe-ins but even at that, it’s anyone’s guess who actually leads the line on June 14 against hosts Germany.

And behind them, who will Clarke take a chance on in the goal scoring department?

Moreover, what names can force their way in thanks to their versatility?

Ross Stewart has just came back to fitness for Southampton but he only managed 18 minutes against West Brom in the play-offs last week, so you have to assume the Euros will come too soon for the £11m man after almost a year of injury hell.

We reported that 18-year-old wonderkid Ben Doak is being considered for a sensational call-up by Clarke, with the boss impressed by the youngster on his limited outings for Liverpool and when representing the Under-21s.

Doak could be Scotland’s secret weapon at Germany, with pace to burn and an eye for goal but he hasn’t played since December due to injury.

He has returned to training though and the expansion to 26 players (and the 28-strong provisional list) could mean he is given a chance to prove himself in the weeks leading up to Germany.

A not-so-secret weapon would be the experienced James Forrest, who has enjoyed a terrific turnaround in fortunes at Celtic in recent weeks.

To being on the brink of leaving on loan in January to propelling the Hoops’ title charge, the winger has played his way into Clarke’s thoughts for the first time since the last Euros (at the expense of Killie’s Armstrong).

Lewis Morgan has just two caps for Scotland and they came five years ago but is there a Scottish forward in better form at the moment?

The former Celtic star has nine goals in 14 MLS matches so far this season but one thing going against him is Clarke’s unwillingness to pick from that league, as Ryan Gauld can attest

Elsewhere, Ryan Hardie fired 12 goals for Plymouth this season in the Championship and Bristol City forward Tommy Conway has ten strikes but both of them are yet to be included in a full squad.

They’ve been in better form than Kevin Nisbet though who, despite his 11 caps, seems to be on the outside looking in after an up-and-down season with Millwall where he wasn’t at peak fitness or form.

The same can be said for Jacob Brown who has won all eight of his caps under Clarke but never seemed to take to international football, and has just suffered relegation with Luton Town.

We’ll rule out the latter two based on their subpar form and of Hardie and Conway, it’s the Bristol City man who has been among the goals of late but it still might not be enough.

IN: Dykes, Adams, Shankland, Forrest, Conway, (Doak)

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