Scotland: New squad, but will it be new team? – James McFadden & Pat Nevin

One player who is seldom boring for Scotland is Billy Gilmour.

The midfielder’s presence was missed at the World Cup, but after signing off from Serie A at the weekend with a goal for Napoli, he is returning ready to go.

Nevin will be making a swift exit from the Stozice Stadium if Gilmour is not starting – where he will surely be beside Lewis Ferguson.

“One of, if not the best player for us at the World Cup,” McFadden said of the Bologna captain, who will surely look to his left and find captain Andy Robertson at wing-back.

“You’re not going to go and change the midfield up. I don’t think there’s a need for a change for change’s sake.

“I think that the freshness was needed, but I’m just looking forward to seeing them actually play and see if there’s any difference in how they approach it – if they are more aggressive in a press and more dominant with possession.”

Central to that will be John McGinn.

At times, Scotland have struggled to get the Aston Villa captain in his best position in midfield – and yet he still never fails to perform.

With Scott McTominay missing from the squad as he recovers from successful minor heart surgery, Nevin suggested: “We need his explosiveness in the final third, so I would like to see him a little bit further forward.”