Scotland v Slovenia UEFA Nations League Tuesday, 6 October - 7:45pm kick off Barclays Hampden, Glasgow
Scotland are looking to finish off new Head Coach Sébastien Pocognoli's first camp on a high, and supporters can still secure their seats at Barclays Hampden for the visit of Slovenia on Tuesday night.
The Belgian tasted victory for the first time in Skopje on Saturday as his Scotland side turned in a completely dominant display over North Macedonia.
Kieron Bowie’s clinical turn and finish gave the Scots the lead within the first ten minutes and John McGinn’s second half penalty made it 2-0.
Scotland passed up a number of opportunities to extend the lead and there was a slightly nervy finish after Scott McKenna’s late red card, although in truth North Macedonia never really threatened a comeback.
The win was all the sweeter on a night of history as captain Andy Robertson became only the second male player after Sir Kenny Dalglish to reach a century of Scotland caps.
Team News
After Robertson’s landmark on Saturday night, the skipper is now only two appearances short of Dalglish’s record, while Tuesday night could see another milestone as midfielder Billy Gilmour looks set to win his 50th cap.
The Napoli midfielder, who made his first competitive Scotland appearance in a draw with England at Wembley in UEFA EURO 2020, has bounced back from the disappointment of missing the FIFA World Cup in the summer by impressing in all three UEFA Nations League games during this window.
Centre-back Luke Graham achieved a milestone of his own on Saturday as he came on as a late substitute to make his first Scotland appearance in Skopje.
Previous matches
Scotland started slowly in the side’s first meeting in this UEFA Nations League campaign last Saturday, but Pocognoli’s side exerted their dominance in the second period in Ljubljana, though we were unable to find the breakthrough as the match ended goalless.
Prior to that meeting, the sides met twice in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, with Scotland winning the first match 1-0 in Glasgow before suffering a damaging 2-2 draw in the final match of the campaign as we narrowly missed out on a play-off on goal difference.
Pre-match thoughts
Scotland Head Coach Sébastien Pocognoli got his first Scotland win on Saturday and he is looking to follow this up by securing another three points in front of the home supporters. He said: "I'm delighted to get the win. First for the players and for the staff around me because we've delivered a good job from the first day of the camp in Spain.
"To have a first win is like a gift, so we take it. It's good energy for all of us but now we have another game and we need to build on this.
"We want to deliver another good performance at home because we still have the frustration from the Switzerland game and it's important to have a good feeling before the next camp in November."
Scotland captain Andy Robertson won his 100th cap for Scotland on Saturday and he was delighted to see his side put in such a dominant display to mark the personal achievement. He said: “A clean sheet, two goals and, most importantly, three points. We should have scored more goals.
“We had chance after chance after chance and didn't quite take them. The pitch was a really difficult pitch to play on but I thought the lads dealt with it really well.
“I think it was an all-round really good performance and I thought we defended the box when we had to really well, especially in the last 10 minutes. A pleasing night all round.
“The lads and all the staff did a presentation for me on Saturday afternoon. I wanted to try and enjoy the day, but I think as footballers, these days are always made more special if you win the game.
“I think I ended my speech by saying hopefully we can win the game, so it makes it even more memorable.
“100 caps is amazing but it's been topped off by a fantastic performance by the lads.”
How to Watch
The match will once again be live on BBC Two Scotland, with coverage from 7:30pm.
Tickets
The Scotland supporters were in fine voice on Saturday evening, with renditions of new Sébastien Pocognoli and Ben Gannon-Doak chants ringing out from the away end.
There is still time to be among the Scotland fans on Tuesday evening, with a number of tickets still available. These can be purchased here from the Scottish FA Ticket Shop.
Scotland Squad
Goalkeepers
Scott Bain Falkirk Angus Gunn San Jose Earthquakes Liam Kelly Rangers Jon McCracken *Bradford City
Defenders
Luis Binks Brondby Josh Doig Sassuolo Colby Donovan Celtic Luke Graham Stoke City Jack Hendry Al Ettifaq Aaron Hickey Brentford Scott McKenna Dinamo Zagreb Nathan Patterson *Torino Andy Robertson Tottenham Hotspur Stephen Welsh Swansea City
Midfielders
Ryan Christie AFC Bournemouth Lewis Ferguson Bologna Billy Gilmour *Napoli Lennon Miller Udinese John McGinn Aston Villa Josh McPake Heart of Midlothian Kristi Montgomery Blackburn Rovers
Forwards
Kieron Bowie Sassuolo Findlay Curtis **Rangers Ben Gannon-Doak AFC Bournemouth Oli McBurnie Hull City Robbie Ure Sevilla James Wilson **Heart of Midlothian
*Denotes Scottish FA JD Performance School graduate **Denotes player featuring for Scotland Under-21s
