3 ways Scotland boss Steve Clarke could look to replace the injured Billy Gilmour for crunch Greece clash

With an opportunity to end a 28-year exile from the tournament, the national team will set up a straight shootout for a place at next summer’s World Cup by achieving at least a draw against Greece on Saturday, with Group C leaders Denmark due at Hampden Park in the final qualification game on November 18.

However, Scotland will be forced to tackle Greece with one of their key midfielders following the news that Napoli’s Billy Gilmour has been ruled out of the game in Piraeus with a groin problem. Fellow squad members Lennon Miller and Ross McCrorie will also miss the clash with injury problems of their own, with Andy Irving and Connor Barron drafted in as replacements.

But how will Scotland opt to line up with Gilmour? The Scotsman looks at the three options head coach Clarke has:

The most likely option

It is worth remembering that, while the absence of Gilmour is a blow, he was actually left out of the starting XI during the 3-1 win over Greece in October, with Lewis Ferguson preferred in the centre, where he scored the crucial second goal ten minutes from time. When suspended for the win against Belarus, the Bologna star was replaced by Gilmour at Hampden Park.

So, should Clarke opt to employ the same formation and system as he did against Greece in Piraeus at the weekend, the obvious and most likely option is to restore Ferguson to the starting XI alongside Scott McTominay and John McGinn.

The alternative option

It may seem like a more defensive option on the face of it, but Clarke could opt to revert to a back three and aim to unleash both Aaron Hickey and Andy Robertson as wing-backs, with the duo both providing the width on the flanks for the national team. In the three recent games against Greece, the head coach has exclusively gone with a back four, with Grant Hanley and John Souttar paired in the centre of defence. The duo was colossal during Scotland’s 1-0 Nations League first-leg playoff win on their last visit to Piraeus, but came unstuck with a few days later when Ivan Jovanović’s side won the second leg 3-0 at Hampden.

With Hickey and Robertson more than capable of bombing up and down and adding to the Scotland attack, and a draw far from a poor result, could the 62-year-old boss opt to change the formation in the absence of Gilmour and add another body in the centre of defence? One of Scott McKenna or Jack Hendry will be hoping so.

The Christie option

Alongside Bologna captain Ferguson, the head coach will be boosted by the return of experienced Bournemouth midfielder Ryan Christie following his suspension against Belarus. The 30-year-old has now amassed 62 caps for the national team, and is one of Clarke’s most trusted lieutenants, but has rarely played in a deep-lying midfield role, often operating in the more advanced positions on the left or right of midfield.

Christie had occasionally dropped into deeper roles during the spells at Inverness and Celtic, but had predominantly been an attacking playmaker until Andoni Iraola’s appointment at Bournemouth in the summer of 2023. He has operated in a deeper role since the Spaniard’s arrival, where he has flourished. While a vastly different player from Gilmour, his eye for a pass and physicality in the middle could be an alternative option. Last season, his passing accuracy (83.0%) was comparable to that of Gilmour (89.2%). He started 18 top-flight games last season, with many of them coming in the deeper role for Bournemouth, contributing two goals and three assists.

The biggest concern is that the former Celtic man has played just 227 minutes in the English Premier League this season, and hasn’t started a game since Scotland’s 3-1 win over Greece last month, whereas Ferguson is playing more regularly.

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