Scotland vs Slovenia – News and Probable Lineups

Eager to conclude the international break positively, Scotland will host Group B1 adversaries Slovenia at Hampden Park for a UEFA Nations League encounter on Tuesday.

The home side aims to capitalize on their recent victory, while the visitors are hoping to recover from a disappointing loss.

Match overview

Sebastien Pocognoli faced challenges at the beginning of his tenure with Scotland, yet after finally securing his first win as head coach, there is a sense of relief ahead of this match.

The former Monaco manager took over the national team after Steve Clarke’s resignation during the summer, making his debut with a goalless draw against Tuesday’s opponents on September 26.

That disappointing stalemate was followed by a comprehensive 3-0 defeat against Switzerland three days later, although it’s worth noting that Pocognoli’s squad played with 10 men for the vast majority of the match after Jack Hendry was red-carded just 11 minutes into the game.

Adding to the woes, Scotland had not scored in four matches leading up to their fixture against North Macedonia, but the Tartan Army witnessed a 2-0 victory in Skopje on Saturday.

Securing all three points for the first time under Pocognoli has altered the landscape of the current Nations League campaign, with Scotland now level with Slovenia on four points, who sit in second place.

On the other hand, Bostjan Cesar’s Slovenia have achieved identical results to Scotland thus far, and they will be vying for a vital win in this six-pointer for promotion.

The visitors built on their opening goalless stalemate against Scotland by defeating North Macedonia 2-0 on September 29, with second-half goals from Sandi Lovric and Aljosa Matko.

However, their recent 2-1 setback against Switzerland has diminished their lead over Pocognoli’s squad and has heightened the stakes for this upcoming match.

This loss was particularly painful as Zan Vipotnik had put Slovenia ahead just two minutes into the game, only for an own goal from Erik Janza to level the match, and Dan Ndoye condemned Cesar’s team before halftime.

Slovenia will be eager to avoid dropping further behind in Group B1 on Tuesday, given the tight competition for the promotion playoff. Still, after witnessing the team lose three of their last four away matches, supporters may be feeling apprehensive.

Team News

Scotland will be missing Dinamo Zagreb centre-back Scott McKenna, who is suspended following his dismissal against North Macedonia.

In his absence, Jack Hendry, who returns from a suspension of his own, is expected to join Stephen Welsh and Luis Binks in Pocognoli’s three-man defence.

Andy Robertson is set to edge closer to Dalglish’s appearance record by starting at left wing-back, while his former Liverpool teammate Ben Gannon-Doak will feature on the right.

As for Slovenia, their attacking line will likely be spearheaded by Swansea City striker Zan Vipotnik, with Aljosa Matko and Danijel Sturm providing support from the flanks.

At the other end, Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak is anticipated to be shielded by a central defensive trio featuring David Zec, Jaka Bijol, and Vanja Drkusic.

Scotland probable starting XI:

Gunn; Welsh, Hendry, Binks; Gannon-Doak, Ferguson, Gilmour, Robertson; McGinn, McBurnie; Bowie

Slovenia probable starting XI:

Cloud; Karnicnik, Drkusic, Bijol, Zec, Janza; Matko, Zabukovnik, Lovric, Sturm; Vipotnik

Scotland will take confidence from their recent victory, but it’s essential to acknowledge that this win came against a struggling North Macedonia side.

Slovenia is expected to maintain competitiveness on Tuesday, just as they did in the initial draw against Scotland.