[0762]

IMO this is an international fixture, this time in a Nations League group, that is becoming far too regular for my liking. There seems to be a dearth in striking choices and quality, prob the worst I've seen for a long time, and it results in the great possibility that an untried striker like Lyndon Dykes could well be "given a start" by Steve Clarke. Thankfully the opposition is nowhere close to being of any great footie quality but neither is Scotland at the moment! Another "area of concern" is the centre of our defence and again it is a weak area that has festered for a few years - never properly resolved due to a lack of top quality defenders at this level. Previous incumbents have lacked discipline and focus in certain games where Scotland have been exposed and "shown up" v poor opponents particularly in away matches and this needs to resolved. Another prob for Clarke is that age old one where two top class full backs, Robertson and Tierney, are either fielded in an accommodating defensive line up or one of them is dropped. Our midfield area is decent and it is a case of trying to "strike the right balance" for Steve Clarke. I suspect this match will end up in a stalemate and just hope that Scotland surprise me with a win.