THE build-up to Scotland’s friendly match with Turkiye in Diyarbakir tomorrow evening has proved problematic for manager Steve Clarke to say the least.
Clarke was irked when he was not allowed to name any of his Celtic contingent in the squad; it is not a designated international window and FIFA have allowed clubs to make their own decisions on releasing their players.
His Parkhead counterpart Ange Postecoglou will be taking Greg Taylor, Anthony Ralston, James Forrest and David Turnbull to the Sydney Cup in Australia this week.
Che Adams, Nathan Patterson and Kenny McLean, meanwhile, have all pulled out of the travelling party due to injuries.
There are also serious security concerns in a city which is just 90 miles from the Syrian border following a bomb blast in Istanbul on Sunday which killed six people.
The Turkish authorities have blamed Kurdish rebels for the attack – a claim which has been denied by the militants - and Diyarbakir is considered to be the Kurdish capital.
A team of 200 English-speaking police officers have been assigned to accompany the 1,000-strong travelling supporters who are expected to be in the 33,000 sell-out crowd.
The SFA have, too, taken safety advice from the British Embassy in Ankara and Andy Robertson and his team mates received an armed guard as they left their hotel for a short stroll yesterday.
Nothing is ever straightforward when it comes to Scotland.
Nevertheless, Clarke can use the match to build on the progress which was made in the Nations League matches in September and lay the foundations for a successful Euro 2024 campaign before an opening Group A game against Cyprus at Hampden in March.
He still has, with Craig Gordon, Grant Hanley, Scott McKenna, Ryan Porteous, Jack Hendry, Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Stuart Armstrong, Scott McTominay, John McGinn, Ryan Christie, Lyndon Dykes and Ryan Fraser all in attendance, the nucleus of his strongest starting line-up.
He switched from a three man to a four man defence in the Group B1 encounters with Ukraine and the Republic of Ireland earlier this season due to Robertson being injured and it transformed the fortunes of his national side.
They romped to deserved 3-0 and 2-1 victories over Ukraine and Ireland respectively and then ground out a 0-0 draw with Ukraine in Poland that clinched first place in the section, promotion to the A League and a second seeding in the Euro 2024 draw.
But the change begged a question. What does he do when Liverpool left back Robertson and Arsenal defender Tierney are both available? Does he revert back to his 3-4-2-1 formation just to shoehorn them in?
It will be a retrograde step if he does.
The game in the Diyarbakir Stadium tomorrow night gives Clarke an opportunity to see if he can play both men in a back four. Could he deploy Tierney at left centre back and Robertson outside him? It would be worth trying out in a non-competitive fixture.
Elsewhere, it is a chance for the manager to blood Calvin Ramsay. The former Aberdeen right back made his Liverpool debut when he came on in the Champions League match against Napoli at Anfield this month and then started for the English giants in the League Cup win over Derby County.
With Aaron Hickey and Patterson both out, Ramsay could well kick off the game. The teenager is an outstanding prospect who looks set to serve his country with distinction for years to come. The Turkiye match would be a good place to launch his international career.
Lewis Ferguson has made four appearances for Scotland since making his own debut against Denmark in Copenhagen last year. But he was not involved against Ukraine and Ireland due to his lack of game time at Bologna. Since then, though, the midfielder has featured regularly in Serie A and scored three goals. He can stake a claim for inclusion in future.
It will, due to the circumstances surrounding the fixture and the players who are missing, not be the end of the world if Scotland fail to overcome their hosts this evening. But a decent display that extends a four match unbeaten run would make it a thoroughly worthwhile exercise all the same.
