What Scotland's World Cup squad is set to look like - our 26 men to go to USA

It’s an agonising task. As well as revealing the 26 players he has chosen to invest faith in ahead of next month’s World Cup, the Scotland manager will be torpedoing the hopes of others. Who will be jetting off first class to the United States? And who is being left behind ahead of this much anticipated great adventure?

Injury permitting, the squad will be the squad. Unlike before Euro 2024, when Clarke named 28 players and later jettisoned two, he is expected to name 26 straight off the bat, at least sparing himself a couple of later difficult conversations.

All will be revealed just before lunchtime on Tuesday. The chances are there won’t be any major surprises. Clarke would prefer to sit behind a desk in the Hampden Park auditorium and simply read out the names. While that might have been the form the last time Scotland qualified for a World Cup 28 years ago, it isn't going to fly now.

Social media traction is what it’s all about. Like two years ago, when the likes of Pat Nevin, Frankie Boyle and, er, former Hearts No. 1 Antti Niemi featured in a short film based on the film The Hangover as a prelude to the Euro 2024 squad announcement, expect something a bit different and starry. Whether Niemi is indeed Finnish, finished or otherwise, Clarke could certainly do with him between the sticks. Remarkably, of his two frontline keepers, Craig Gordon, aged 43 and recovering from a serious shoulder injury, has played more first-team minutes of club football (225) than Angus Gunn (45) this year. That position is one of two areas of huge concern going into the tournament. Striker is the other.

One goal at Euro 2020 and then two at Euro 2024, although one was an own goal. The trend suggests Scotland can look forward to scoring three goals at the upcoming World Cup, which may or may not be enough to secure a passage into the second stage.

But even scoring three goals seems like a tall order. Who will score them? News emerged over the weekend that Middlesbrough forward Tommy Conway is out having suffered an ankle injury in a recent play-off game. It does, though, offer Clarke some leeway in the face of the increasing clamour for the manager to re-assess his striking options.

The timely Scotland goal in Serie A

Whether he was going to be on the plane or not, only Clarke knows. If he was pencilled in, the manager now needs to find a replacement. Kieron Bowie has scored one of the timeliest goals of his short career to date.

Bowie, who struck late for Hellas Verona to clinch a 1-1 draw at the home of champions Inter Milan, is the latest Scot after the likes of Denis Law, Joe Jordan and Dundee’s Alan Cousin to score in the San Siro. Four goals in 13 Serie A appearances for relegated Hellas Verona must be regarded as a productive return.

The way the former Hibs striker outmuscled Brazilian international centre back Carlos Augusto suggested he can be more than useful in the coming weeks. It was an impeccable, composed strike into the corner, scored almost as if in slow motion. It isn't necessarily something you can imagine Lyndon Dykes – three goals this year for Charlton Athletic – doing. In a stadium that speaks of great footballing occasions, it looked every inch a World Cup goal. We will find out shortly if Clarke – left out of two World Cup squads, remember - was similarly impressed.

Dykes will be included along with No. 1 striker Che Adams, and rightly so – he can still prove a handful. While sentiment ought not cloud judgment in the case of something as momentous as a World Cup squad, Scotland’s first since 1998, some consideration must be paid to the striker’s devastating injury on the eve of Euro 2024.

Dykes also scored a crucial World Cup qualifying goal as recently as October against Greece.

George Hirst's record of four goals in 22 games for promoted Ipswich Town since New Year means he hasn't been much more prolific than Dykes lately. It could be between Hirst and Ross Stewart, scoring goals at a prodigious rate for Southampton.

Stewart, 29, is currently existing in a state of hyper suspension. Uncertain of his World Cup place, his club are also awaiting the results of a ‘Spygate’ investigation that has placed their participation in the EFL Championship final, scheduled for this weekend against Hull City, in considerable doubt. Mention of Hull brings to mind the so-called much-misunderstood Oli McBurnie. Whether Clarke believes he deserves another chance in Scotland colours after a productive season near the top of the English Championship remains to be seen. One suspects not.

Who will be the “Billy Gilmour” and “Nathan Patterson” picks - young players brought along not just for the ride but because they can contribute – this time around? Findlay Curtis seems almost assured of a place. The Rangers wide man has made the most of a loan spell at Kilmarnock. He was included in Clarke’s last squad for the friendlies in March and has scored four times in seven club appearances since then to help steer Killie from the relegation danger area.

The rest of the midfield almost picks itself, although Ben Gannon-Doak is not yet playing quite as regularly as anyone might like following the serious hamstring injury he picked up in Scotland’s thrilling qualification match against Denmark in November. He was an unused substitute last time out against Fulham. He could feature against Manchester City on Tuesday evening.

Some doubt exists in defence over Grant Hanley, who injured a knee in Hibs’ defeat to Motherwell on Saturday. Perhaps no longer a certain starter – Scott McKenna and Jack Hendry seem in poll position to start at centre half in Scotland’s opener against Haiti on 13 June – Clarke will be desperate to include someone he once referred to as “my man”. It won't be long until we know the identity of his other men for a mission to make some history in North America.

Alan Pattullo’s World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Craig Gordon, Angus Gunn, Scott Bain.

Defenders: Aaron Hickey, Ross McCrorie, Nathan Patterson, Grant Hanley, John Souttar, Scott McKenna, Jack Hendry, Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney.

Midfielders: Scott McTominay, John McGinn, Billy Gilmour, Kenny McLean, Ben Gannon-Doak, Lewis Ferguson, Ryan Christie, Lennon Miller, Findlay Curtis.

Strikers: Che Adams, Lyndon Dykes, Kieron Bowie, Lawrence Shankland, George Hirst.

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