Team news: Steve Clarke names his Scotland side for Gibraltar friendly

Steve Clarke has named his Scotland side for the friendly against Gibraltar, as the team prepares for the first of two warm-up games before Euro 2024.

The match against Gibraltar in Faro will be followed by a Hampden send-off for the squad on Friday when they face Finland before flying out to the tournament.

The two friendly matches will help Clarke assess his squad ahead of the group games against Germany, Switzerland and Hungary, and the head coach is expected to use most of his squad across the two warm-up games.

For Monday’s game at Estadio de Algarve, Clarke has named an unfamiliar side, with Ross McCrorie being handed his debut, and James Forrest straight back into the side after his return to the squad.

Zander Clark is given a start in goal behind a back four of captain Andy Robertson, Grant Hanley, Ryan Porteous and McCrorie.

John McGinn, Billy Gilmour and Kenny McLean are in midfield, while Ryan Christie and Forrest play in support of striker Lawrence Shankland.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Your Scotland team to take on Gibraltar at the Estádio Algarve this afternoon.#GIBSCO pic.twitter.com/poAyLnPVpR
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) June 3, 2024

Clarke named a provisional 28-man squad ahead of the tournament, with decisions to make before the UEFA deadline for his final 26 players on Friday night.

While the extended squad was intended to allow a check on the fitness of players who have been recently injured or short on game time, Scotland suffered a blow at the weekend when striker Lyndon Dykes was ruled out of the tournament after picking up an injury on the training ground.

That leaves Che Adams and Shankland as the only out-and-out strikers in the squad, though Ben Doak and Forrest are other attacking options.

Clarke has said that he will take time to think about whether or not to draft in a replacement, but had previously said that any new faces would be drawn from the Under-21 squad.

In the meantime, he’ll put players through their paces against Gibraltar, hoping for not only a win to build momentum, but also strong performances from players vying for a place in the final squad for Germany, but also for a place in the team that faces the hosts at the Allianz Arena on June 14.