Scotland is aiming to secure their first win in Group C of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign as they face Belarus. The match takes place on Monday night, following Scotland's goalless draw against Denmark and Belarus's heavy 5-1 loss to Greece.
Steve Clarke, Scotland's head coach, is looking for a win against Belarus to build on the point gained against Denmark. Scotland hasn't featured in a World Cup final since 1998 and will be looking to change that. Meanwhile, Belarus is still seeking their first-ever appearance at a World Cup finals and has also never qualified for a European Championship, finishing fourth in their Euro 2024 qualifying group.
The match is being held at a neutral venue in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary, behind closed doors, due to UEFA sanctions against Belarus for their support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Belarus has played previous home games without spectators in Novi Sad, Serbia, and Budapest, Hungary.
Team News and Lineups
Steve Clarke has made four changes to the Scotland side that drew with Denmark. Gannon-Doak and Gilmour's introductions were expected, while McKenna replaced Hanley at centre back, and Johnston replaced Hickey at right back.
The confirmed Scotland lineup is: Gunn, Johnston, Souttar, McKenna, Robertson, Ferguson, Gilmour, McGinn, McTominay, Doak, Adams. The substitutes are: Kelly, Clark, Hickey, Hanley, Doig, Dykes, Christie, Hendry, Miller, Hirst, Bowie, McLean.
Belarus's predicted lineup is: Pavlyuchenko; Pigas, Martynovich, Zabelin, Pechenin; Yablonskiy, Korzun; Gromyko, Ebong, Kovalev; Barkovskiy.
Key Players
Scotland will rely on players like John McGinn, Ryan Christie and Lyndon Dykes to create attacking opportunities. They will also need a strong defensive performance, as they showed against Denmark.
Belarus will be wary of striker Herman Barkouski, who scored their only goal in the 5-1 defeat to Greece. Veteran captain Aleksandr Martynovich will likely be tasked with marking Adams.
Match Expectations
Steve Clarke is expecting a reaction from Belarus after their heavy defeat to Greece. He is focused on securing the three points, regardless of the margin of victory. Carlos Alos, the Belarus head coach, has lamented playing behind closed doors.
Scotland will take encouragement from their performance against Denmark, and will look to build on that result. The most recent encounter between these two nations was in 2005 when Belarus claimed a 1-0 win in a World Cup qualifier, though Scotland lead the overall head-to-head with two wins to Belarus's one.
