Scotland vs The Netherlands: A look ahead to the all important friendly
Scotland flag and soccer ball, football in goal net
The Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam will play host to a buoyant Scotland side who are reveling in preparations for their Euro 2024 campaign.
Gaffer Steve Clarke has named a 25-man squad to face The Netherlands and Northern Ireland in two crucial warm-up matches.
The level of opposition chosen by the Scotland national team is a fitting challenge to get the side up to speed with facing the best players in the world.
Scotland will be without regulars Callum McGregor and Aaron Hickey for these friendlies. However, these two important figures are almost guaranteed selections in the full 23-man tournament squad meaning Steve Clarke has a big opportunity to give some fringe players a chance to stake their claim for a place in the squad.
Scotland supporters will be eager to see Lewis Ferguson, the flying Scotsman in Italy, get a chance to break into what is an incredibly talented midfield.
The Bologna skipper is having the season of his life in the north of Italy. He has banged in six goal this season, alongside providing three assists for his teammates.
That is certainly the headache area for Scotland, with a plethora of talent available at Steve Clarke’s fingertips, including goal scoring Manchester United machine Scott McTominay, Aston Villa skipper John McGinn and Brighton maestro Billy Gilmour.
Ronald Koeman’s side have been on a terrific run of form of late and will be feeling at level of confidence enough to defeat the Scots.
In fact, the European side have only been defeated once by former world champions France in their last six outings.
The player to watch out for in the orange side, amongst an array of global superstars, is Barcelona deep lying playmaker Frenkie de Jong. The 26-year-old is on a world class level technically and has the means to be able to dictate a game at his own pace.
Liverpool captain Vigil Van Dijk will pose a difficult challenge for the Scottish forwards on Friday. The former Celtic man is back to preforming at his best for the scouse side and will feel well equipped to deal with the threat of Lawrence Shankland, Che Adams or Lyndon Dykes.
It is set to be a tough tie, but a strong travelling tartan army will be in high spirits, and confidence levels, especially after last year’s victory over the Spanish.
