Surprising Picks in Scotland Squad Who Made the Cut

Scottish Express Sport took a look at the form of every member of the Scotland squad as the countdown to Ukraine begins

Only Ukraine stand in the way of Steve Clarke's side reaching a play-off final against either Wales or Austria at the end of March, which if they can win, will see Scotland feature in a World Cup for the first time in 24 years.

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It's been one long road to get to this point, after a whirlwind qualifying campaign that saw some of the most memorable nights in Hampden's history.

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Namely, Scott McTominay's last-gasp winner to sink Israel in a stunning 3-2 win, and the conquering of a previously unstoppable Denmark side in a 2-0 triumph to secure an all-important home tie in the play-off semi-final.

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Craig Gordon (Hearts) - A colossal season so far for Hearts, a total of 16 clean sheets. Missed the last game with St Johnstone due to Covid issues but otherwise in great shape to continue to be the number 1.

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Jon McLaughlin (Rangers) - Six starts for Rangers this season, and six clean sheets in all competitions. A willing replacement to Allan McGregor but highly unlikely to usurp Craig Gordon.

Zander Clark (St Johnstone) - 10 clean sheets in 31 games so far this season, but missed the Hearts win with a knock. Similar to McLaughlin as despite his youth, unlikely to take the number 1 from Gordon.

Liam Cooper (Leeds United) - Hasn't featured since December for Leeds United and seems to be struggling with an aggravated injury but has resumed some training. His predicted return date is the beginning of March so could feasibly feature in defence soon.

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Grant Hanley (Norwich City) - Captaining a struggling Norwich side this season has been no mean feat, and missed out on the Denmark game allowing Souttar to come in. Steve Clarke will have a decision to make on him come the Ukraine game.

John Souttar (Hearts) - Didn't seal the move to Rangers in January but has been caught between a rock and a hard place recently. Suffered a brief injury a few weeks ago but after a sublime performance against Denmark could be a dark horse for a start against Ukraine.

John Souttar will have the chance to build on an incredible performance against Denmark in the upcoming play-off games (Image: SNS Group)

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Anthony Ralston (Celtic) - Been a revelation this season for Celtic but hasn't quite got his Scotland career going, perhaps owing to the immense wealth of talent in his position. Could be a very useful stand-in if needed in the play-off games.

Nathan Patterson (Everton) - Made a big money move to the Premier League side in January but hasn't featured yet under new boss Frank Lampard. Seems to be down the pecking order at the Toffees but not in Steve Clarke's book.

Jack Hendry (Club Brugge) - Came up against some of the world's best in the Champions League this season but hasn't played for Brugge since the end of January.

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Scott McKenna (Nottingham Forest) - Rock solid for Stoke this season and came on as a sub against Denmark. Another one who on club form alone deserves a place in the team.

Stephen O’Donnell (Motherwell) - Mixed bag this season for Motherwell but is slowly but surely endearing himself to Scotland fans after a solid game against Denmark.

Andy Robertson (Liverpool) - The captain will be essential to the squad's hopes of qualifying and is having another fruitful season at Liverpool, particularly with performances in the Champions League.

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Kieran Tierney (Arsenal) - Seems to be garnering interest from La Liga giants Real Madrid, and could be in line for Arsenal captaincy. Has started 17 games for the Gunners this season and was praised by Steve Clarke as 'the best overlapping centre-back in world football.'

Stuart Armstrong (Southampton) - Has really caught the eye in recent weeks with some sublime goals. Wasn't majorly influential in final group games but is in with a shout of muscling his way into the starting eleven.

Lewis Ferguson (Aberdeen) - A reliable player in times of turbulence recently at Aberdeen, has netted a few goals against the Old Firm this season and is a useful addition to the national squad.

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Billy Gilmour (Norwich City) - A period of uncertainty for the youngster on loan at Norwich. He has managed to settle into the team but will no doubt be looking forward to high praise as part of the Scotland team after some brutal criticism down south.

John McGinn (Aston Villa) - Integral to Steven Gerrard's Villa side despite a poor run of form generally. Will be a massive player for Scotland in these upcoming games.

Ryan Jack (Rangers) - It was a heartbreaking tale when the midfielder missed out on Scotland's Euro campaign with a long-term injury but now he's back and firing on all cylinders for Rangers. A real contender for a start against Ukraine.

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Kenny McLean (Norwich City) - Has been unlucky with injuries for Scotland in the last year or so but is fighting fit and a bright star for Norwich who have experienced a revival in the Premier League.

Scott McTominay (Manchester United) - We wouldn't be talking about a World Cup play-off if it wasn't for McTominay's late goal against Israel. Has been asked to play a different style under Ralf Rangnick in recent weeks but seems up to the challenge. Will be crucial for Ukraine game.

David Turnbull (Celtic) - Has been out injured since the turn of the year with a hamstring injury. Ange Postecoglou initially deemed him to return at the end of February but that seems unlikely. In danger of missing out for the play-off games.

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Ché Adams (Southampton) - Has been on fire in the Premier League recently, scoring in a massive 3-2 win against Spurs and a 1-1 draw against Manchester United.

Jacob Brown (Stoke City) - Started 25 games for Stoke so far this season, scoring 9 goals. Was a surprise addition to the squad last year and will be hoping to feature more in the upcoming fixtures.

Ryan Christie (Bournemouth) - Forced off with a quad injury last week but Scott Parker confirmed initial scan seems 'positive'. Has started 23 games this season in the Championship and has an impressive six league assists.

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Lyndon Dykes (QPR) - Suffered a knock this week but should shake it off. 9 goals in 29 games for QPR so far this season. An incredible run of goals in the qualifiers makes him a cert to play if fit.

Ryan Fraser (Newcastle United) - A key figure in the new-look Newcastle team. However he is a figure of uncertainty with Scotland after choosing not to play against Denmark. Steve Clarke said recently “He wasn't involved through his own choice in the November games. To be honest I don't think we missed him.

Kevin Nisbet (Hibs) - Five league goals this season for Hibs and is piece by piece starting to get a run of form going. Perhaps a bit down the pecking order in terms of Scotland with Dykes and Adams firing.

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