Scotland travel to Ljubljana on Saturday to open their UEFA Nations League B campaign against Slovenia at Stadion Stožice.
The visitors arrive in uncertain form after a difficult run of results that ended with Steve Clarke leaving his position as manager. During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Scotland recovered from early friendly defeats by securing a narrow 1-0 victory over Haiti. However, they later suffered a 1-0 loss to Morocco and a 3-0 defeat against Brazil, results that confirmed their elimination in the group stage. Under new head coach Sébastien Pocognoli, Scotland will be looking to end a two-match losing run while also improving a defence that has conceded too many goals.
Scotland team news
The match marks the beginning of a new chapter for Scotland, although Pocognoli’s first assignment has been made more difficult by several important absences.
Experienced midfielder Kenny McLean and veteran left-back Kieran Tierney both withdrew from the squad earlier this week because of fitness concerns.
Scotland are also missing attacking options Che Adams and Lawrence Shankland, leaving the new manager with limited choices in the final third.
Pocognoli has responded by making major changes to the squad and bringing eight uncapped players into the senior group.
Blackburn Rovers midfielder Kristi Montgomery, aged 22, was called up as a late replacement for McLean. His inclusion adds another inexperienced option to a squad undergoing significant change ahead of the Nations League campaign.
In attack, the recalled Oli McBurnie is expected to be considered for a starting role. He could lead the line alone or form a partnership with Robbie Ure or Lewis Ferguson as Pocognoli attempts to build a new-look Scotland forward line.
The manager will hope his reshaped team can produce a positive result in his first match in charge.
Scotland predicted lineup
Possible Scotland starting XI: Gunn; Welsh, Binks, McKenna; Hickey, Ferguson, Gilmour, Robertson; McGinn; Ure, McBurnie
When will the match kick off?
The match will kick off at 5pm BST on Saturday, 26th September.
How to watch Slovenia vs Scotland?
The Slovenia versus Scotland fixture will be shown live in the UK on BBC One and BBC One Scotland. It will also be available through BBC iPlayer.
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