Scotland’s quest to reach next summer’s World Cup continues on Monday night when they take on Belarus.
The match is being played behind closed doors in the Hungarian town of Zalaegerszeg at the ZTE Arena. UEFA have ordered all of the Belarussians’ home matches to be played on neutral territory with no fans due to their involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It will ensure an eerie atmosphere when Steve Clarke’s Scotland side take to the field in a match they know they must win to maintain their hopes of finishing top of Group C.
The campaign started on Friday night when Scotland ground out a valuable point against top seeds Denmark at Parken Stadion in Copenhagen.
Clarke must now decide who to pick for what is - on paper - a much more winnable match against a team that was routed 5-1 by Greece on Friday.
Our chief football writer Alan Pattullo, who is inZalaegerszeg ahead of the game, puts together his team:
9. John McGinn
Could play just behind the striker, in a slight tweak to the formation against Denmark. The midfielder will hope to win cap number 79 against Belarus, putting him one behind fifth-placed Darren Fletcher in the all-time appearance list. He might want to get himself among the goals as well – he is two away from Lawrie Reilly’s total of 22 – and who knows, goal difference could become a factor. | Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Ima
10. Ryan Christie
A couple of missed opportunities to score on Friday meant he left the park frustrated when he was replaced with seven minutes left but he was getting into the right positions, as he tends to do. A favourite of Clarke’s, his all-action style will come in handy in a game where Scotland will be looking to have the majority of possession. | SNS Group
11. Lyndon Dykes
Needs a goal, for sure. And this might be the ideal game to get it. Played well on Friday night though of course his evening was defined by that miss in the second half. He rather worryingly later admitted he had not realised the defender was quite so close to him when he delayed his shot. Must sharpen up or make way for Che Adams – or Kieron Bowie. | PA
