Scott McTominay scored twice in each of his first two games back for Napoli after minor heart surgery, giving Scotland coach Sebastien Pocognoli a timely boost as he prepares to name his second squad on Tuesday.
McTominay was the biggest absence from Pocognoli’s first selection. His return could strengthen a midfield that already has several players in strong club form, though fitness and recent minutes may decide who joins him. Billy Gilmour, a regular under Pocognoli, has had a quieter spell at Napoli: he was left on the bench as McTominay returned, then came on as a substitute in the win over Monza and the defeat by Juventus. Lewis Ferguson is a fixture for Bologna, who have won three Serie A games in a row, while Ryan Christie has started four matches during Bournemouth’s run of six straight wins without conceding.
There are less certain cases. Kristi Montgomery, who has not yet been capped, remains a regular starter for Blackburn Rovers after his surprise place in the last squad. Lennon Miller started for Udinese at the weekend, but his side lost 5-2 at home to Roma and have now gone eight games without a win. Kenny McLean has played only 45 minutes for Norwich City since withdrawing from the previous Scotland squad with an injury. The 34-year-old missed Saturday’s win over Watford and is a doubt for Tuesday’s game against Derby County.
At centre-back, Scott McKenna looks likely to miss out. Dinamo Zagreb say he is out for the next two weeks after missing their past two matches. Luis Binks returned for Brondby, playing 64 minutes of their win over Aarhus. Meanwhile, Jack Hendry, Stephen Welsh and Luke Graham are regular starters for Al-Ettifaq, Swansea City and Stoke City. Graham has helped Stoke go three games unbeaten without conceding and is pushing for his first Scotland start.
The full-back choices also carry questions. Kieran Tierney is back playing regularly for Celtic after injury, while Andy Robertson has started Tottenham Hotspur’s past three wins. The 32-year-old captain, though, has not often played full matches recently. Right-back remains a bigger concern: Celtic’s Colby Donovan is the only regular starter among the options named, as Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson have mostly been substitutes for Brentford and Torino.
Up front, Lawrence Shankland is still injured, but Che Adams could return after scoring twice in four games for Torino. Oli McBurnie has scored his first two goals of the season in Hull City’s past two matches, despite the team going eight games without a win. Kieron Bowie, who scored Scotland’s opener against North Macedonia last month, has gone five games without a goal and was on Sassuolo’s bench at the weekend. Robbie Ure has scored twice for Sevilla since the last international break, while James Wilson is on an eight-game goal drought for Hearts.
If Pocognoli uses wingers, Ben Gannon-Doak, Josh McPake and Findlay Curtis offer further choices. Gannon-Doak started in Bournemouth’s wins over Aston Villa and AC Milan; McPake has impressed at Hearts, and Curtis has made an impact in Rangers cameos. The squad may be taking shape, but choosing the starting eleven is the harder task: Scotland have depth in some positions and real uncertainty in others.