Scotland v Poland will be free to watch after last-minute deal

SCOTLAND kick off their top-flight Nations League campaign against Poland this week.

It’s the first time the national side have mixed it with the big boys in the Uefa competition, drafted in to fill in for friendlies since 2018.

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And more than that, the Nations League doesn’t just offer a little added incentive to international dates and a trophy at the end – it’s also potentially a route to the World Cup.

Qualifying for big tournaments has a route via the competition and there’s a rule change in the pipeline to make it even MORE important.

First things first, though it’s Robert Lewnadowski and Cristiano Ronaldo over the current international window with the Barcelona striker up first at Hampden.

Scotland haven’t met Portugal competitively in more than 30 years but Poland were in Glasgow 18 months ago for a friendly and drew 2-2 nine years ago where a late Lewandowski strike blew our Euro 2016 qualification hopes.

Here’s a look ahead to the big one at the National Stadium.

What time does Scotland v Poland kick off?

• Steve Clarke’s side host Poland on Thursday, September 5.
• The match kicks off at 7.45pm UK time.
• It will be held at the National Stadium, Hampden Park.
• Referee for the match is Glenn Nyberg, from Sweden.
• He’s never taken charge of Scotland but did officiate in Rangers’ Champions League defeat to Ajax and Celtic’s away draw with Shakhtar Donetsk in 2022
• Dutchman Dennis Higler will be on VAR duty.

What channel is Scotland v Poland on, can I live stream it and can I watch it for free?

Good question!

The fall-out from Viaplay’s withdrawal from the UK broadcast market has thrown coverage of the game into disarray.

Premier Sports inherited much of the Nordic broadcaster’s commitments in Scotland – including the sponsorship of the League Cup competition.

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However they have La Liga re-runs scheduled on Thursday evening – not Scotland’s game.

The BBC were then in talks about sharing the broadcast with the subscription service, but pulled out. However ITV became a late option – and they’ve been given the go-ahead by Uefa.

TV rights are sold centrally and decided by competition chiefs, not the SFA.

That’s good news for the Tartan Army‘s armchair division – for years Scotland have been covered by Sky Sports, but free-to-air coverage on terrestrial TV will be music to many ears – especially after the bank balance busting to Germany in the summer.

• The game will be shown on ITV4 on Thursday.
• Coverage begins at 7.30pm – the same time as Sunday’s Portugal game coverage.
• The game will also be streamed on the ITVX platform
• BBC Radio Scotland will also carry live commentary of the matches.

ITV will also take on Northern Ireland‘s matches with Luxembourg and Bulgaria.

Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport said: “We are delighted to air the Men’s Scotland and Northern Ireland national team’s upcoming Nations League fixtures.

“The games will be free to air across ITV and ITVX, ensuring fans can enjoy watching these matches live as the new league begins.”

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Team news

Scotland will be without Che Adams – even though he is fully fit and was one of the strikers called up by Steve Clarke.

The Torino striker has opted to stay in Italy to settle in after his move from Southampton, rather than travel for the two matches.

He hasn’t been replaced in the squad, but the other three withdrawals have been covered.

Robby McCrorie is out through injury and didn’t report for duty. Instead Dundee‘s Jon McCracken joined the party.

Celtic pair Greg Taylor and James Forrest are also out but their places have gone to Josh Doig and Connor Barron – a first senior call-up for the Rangers midfielder.

There’s also first-time calls for defender Max Johnston and Ben Doak is in line for a debut after pulling out of Euro 2024 with an injury.

Birmingham CIty targetman Lyndon Dykes is also back after suffering a similar fate.

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Match odds

Scotland 7/5 (Coral)

Draw 11/5 (betway, William Hill)

Poland 21/10 (Ladbrokes, Paddypower)

*odds correct as at 10am on Wednesday, September 4.

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