Important events
Look, it’s dead simple: Scotland must win. They just don’t know what the price will be if they do.
Five of the Scotland XI are bookedmeaning a new booking would exclude them from the first leg of a possible relegation play-off. They are: Anthony Ralston, Andy Robertson, Scott McTomigol, Grant Hanley and Billy Gilmour.
Five of the Scotland XI are on yellow cards, meaning another booking would exclude them from the quarter-final if Sc– No, I can’t go there, this is getting weird.
Let’s try again.
Ben Doak’s performance on Friday evening only missed one thing.
Imagine if someone did this now. My favorite bit is the matter-of-fact way commentator Arthur Montford says, “Murray is on the ball,” as if it were as mundane as a throw-in.
Read Ewan Murray on Ben Doak
Doak has a sharp pace and a direct style that appeals to the paying gambler. What you see is what you get. Its roots in the working class are a welcome antidote to the feeling that football has become too expensive or unattractive for that group in society. Supporters can identify with Doak’s personality and approach to the game. But it is also extremely effective; Josko Gvardiol looked terrified at times in Glasgow.
Team news
Steve Clarke makes two changes to the team that defeated Croatia: John McGinn And Lyndon Dykes replace Ryan Christie and Tommy Conway.
Poland, which is without the injured Robert Lewandowski for this international break, makes seven changes to the team that was defeated by Portugal on Friday. And just in case you think I’m going to list them all, here’s something else. The survivors are Captain Piotr Zielinski, Jakub Kiwior, Nicola Zalewski and Kamil Piatkowski.
Poland (3-5-2) Skorupski; Piatkowski, Walukiewicz, Kiwior; Kaminski, S Szymanski, Moder, Zielinski, Zalewski; Buksa, Swiderski.
Replacements: Bulka, Dragowski, Wieteska, Gurgul, Slisz, Urbanski, Bogusz, Puchacz, Kozubal, Kapustka, Marczuk, Piatek.
Scotland (4-2-3-1) Gordon; Ralston, Souttar, Hanley, Robertson; Gilmour, McLean; Doak, McTominay, McGinn; Dykes.
Replacements: Slicker, Robby McCrorie, Shankland, Christie, Hendry, Barron, Taylor, McKenna, Armstrong, Conway, Gauld, Devlin.
Referee Christian Dingert (Germany)
The state of affairs in Group A1
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Portugal 13 points
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Croatia 7
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Poland 4 (GD-6)
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Scotland 4 (-2)
Scotland’s goal difference is superior, especially as Poland were beaten 5–1 in Portugal, but the first tiebreaker is a head-to-head record and so they are in third place. It also means they can’t top Croatia – but Scotland can if they win and Portugal beat Croatia in Split.
Wait a minute, the Nations League quarter-finals: when was that? In 2031 it will be a 32-team jamboree, mark our words.
Preamble
So you’re saying there’s a chance? Scotland’s dramatic victory over Croatia on Friday kept alive hopes of avoiding automatic relegation from Group A1 of the Nations League. All they have to do now is beat Poland in Warsaw. If they succeed, they can still qualify for the quarter-finals.
Scotland’s campaign started with an irritating 3-2 defeat at home to Poland, with Nicola Zalenski scoring the winner from the penalty spot in the 97th minute. That goal seems even more important; without it, Scotland would only need a draw tonight to finish third in the group.
It doesn’t matter. Scotland are still alive and they have what their fanbase needs more than most: hope. Right now it comes in the peedie, fast form of Ben Doak, the teenage winger whose blistering performance against Croatia looked like a modern adaptation of Jinky Johnstone.
The boy is only 19, so we shouldn’t get carried away. And we certainly shouldn’t point out that he has the same initials as the trophy that Messi and Ronaldo monopolized from 2008 to 2023.
Kick-off 7:45 pm.
