Scotland Squad Update: Armstrong Joins as Adams and Morgan Withdraw

Stuart Armstrong is set to potentially increase his tally of 51 Scotland caps. The national team has brought in the midfielder for their Nations League fixtures against Croatia and Poland, following the withdrawal of forwards Che Adams and Lewis Morgan from the squad. The match against Croatia is scheduled for Friday, 15 November, at Hampden Park in Glasgow, with a kick-off time of 19:45 GMT. Fans can listen live on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio Scotland, and follow live updates via the BBC Sport website and app. Armstrong, 32, who plays for Vancouver Whitecaps, last appeared for the Scottish national team as a substitute during their final Euro 2024 game, which was a 1-0 loss to Hungary. Head coach Steve Clarke now commands a 24-member squad for the home game against Croatia on Friday and the away fixture in Poland on Monday. Adams’ departure from the squad was anticipated, as he had been sidelined from Torino’s recent city derby against Juventus due to a thigh injury. Scotland assistant coach John Carver commented on the situation, stating: “It’s a blow when you lose any player, but in particular a player of his quality. “He’s got off to a good start in Italy and you could tell when he came into the last camp how confident he was, scoring a few goals and quite excited by his new future.” Clarke’s team has accumulated one point thus far in Group A1, placing them three points behind Poland. This single point was earned in their most recent match, a goalless draw at home against group leaders Portugal. This result came after close defeats to Poland at Hampden, and away losses to both Portugal and Croatia. With Adams no longer available, Tommy Conway, Lyndon Dykes, and Lawrence Shankland are now vying for a starting position in the forward line against Croatia. Nevertheless, while Conway has registered five goals for Middlesbrough this season, Dykes has scored only once, against Fulham Under-21s, since his move to Birmingham City in August. Meanwhile, Lawrence Shankland of Heart of Midlothian has managed just one goal in 18 appearances this term. Carver expressed confidence in Shankland’s ability to regain the scoring form that saw him net 33 goals for both club and country during the previous season. Regarding Hearts’ Conference League match, Carver remarked: “I watched the game against Omonia because it was my ex-team and he had a couple of chances.” He added: “When you’re a good player and you’re a goalscorer, eventually that barren spell happens.” Carver continued, stating: “He’s around good people, we’ll help him. Sometimes it’s a bit of a relief coming away from club football, because you’re in a different environment.” He further elaborated on Shankland’s attributes: “We all know what he’s about. He’s a goalscorer, he gets between the posts, he plays inside the 18-yard box. If he has to play for us, or start or come on, that’s what we want him to do and we’ll encourage him to do that.” He concluded by saying: “The good thing is, he’s actually getting into those positions to actually try and score goals. It’s just not coming off for him now, where it did last season and the season before that. So, everybody’s in full support of Lawrence. We love him to bits and the players around him understand it.” The full squad selected is: Goalkeepers: Craig Gordon, Robby McCrorie, Cieran Slicker. Defenders: Nicky Devlin, Grant Hanley, Jack Hendry, Scott McKenna, Ryan Porteous, Anthony Ralston, Andy Robertson, John Souttar, Greg Taylor. Midfielders: Stuart Armstrong, Connor Barron, Ryan Christie, Ben Doak, Ryan Gauld, Billy Gilmour, John McGinn, Kenny McLean, Scott McTominay. Forwards: Tommy Conway, Lyndon Dykes, Lawrence Shankland.