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⚽ Scotland: World Cup 2026 team guide | Mail Scott
Scotland are resting their star man Scott McTominay this afternoon. Or has the Napoli icon been superseded in everyone’s affections by John McGinn, on account of his elegant exploits for Europa League winners Aston Villa? Either way, he’s been stood down too. Che Adams, Lewis Ferguson, Kieran Tierney and Ross Stewart are also putting their feet up after heavy end-of-season workloads. But that’s all for the greater good, according to Scotland coach Steve Clarke, who explains: “We’ve got players that haven’t played since the start of May … they need some minutes on the pitch … the modern game is pretty much a squad game anyway, but it’s going to be even more out there because of the extreme conditions … every match there’ll be 16 players going on the pitch at some stage.”
Curaçao have never beaten a European team. On the other hand, Scotland have failed to win any of their last six matches against nations from Concacaf, a dismal run that stretches back to a 4-1 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in 2004. So in that respect, this one’s firmly in the balance. Here, while we’re on the subject, Scotland were the recipient of mucho pelters when they lost to Costa Rica at Italia 90, but let’s be fair, Juan Cayasso’s winner is one of the great under-appreciated goals in World Cup history. What a move! Hey, it’s been 36 years, we can smile about it now.
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