Sebastien Pocognoli's first Scotland starting XI predicted as uncapped defender and Oli McBurnie get nod

The Belgian head coach will take charge of his adopted nation for the first time in the Nations League opener against Slovenia before making his Hampden bow against Switzerland next Tuesday. A trip to North Macedonia follows before the return fixture against Slovenia.

The 39-year-old has been getting to know his new-look squad at their La Manga training base on the banks of the Mediterranean Sea this week after calling up 14 players who were not involved in the World Cup, including eight who are yet to be capped at senior international level.

It is a notable deviation from his predecessor Steve Clarke who avoided such wholesale change across his seven-year tenure by remaining fiercely loyal to a core group, using only 78 different players across 81 matches.

Clarke's resistance to a major overhaul may have frustrated the Tartan Army at times but his legacy of reaching three tournaments after a 22-year absence leaves big shoes for Pocognoli to fill.

The challenge for the ex Union Saint-Gilloise and Monaco boss will be to build on that strong qualification record by taking Scotland beyond the group stages at a major finals, with a co-hosted Euro 2028 likely to provide an opportunity.

The timing of Pocognoli's arrival on the back up of a disappointing World Cup certainly favours a refreshed approach. An extended four-game international window also offers him more time with the players than he would normally have been afforded at the start of his tenure.

Following the generally positive reaction to his squad announcement all eyes will be on his maiden Scotland team sheet when it is handed in ahead of Saturday's 2pm kick-off at the Stadion Stožice.

With 27 players to choose from, Pocognoli is not short of options. Much will depend on the system he chooses with his previous spells in Belgium and France pointing towards a favoured 3-4-1-2 formation.

Such is the youthfulness of his squad, Pocognoli could name a starting XI with an average age under 23, and just five caps between them, with the likes of Jon McCracken in goals, Luke Graham in defence, Lennon Miller in midfield and Robbie Ure in attack.

A more considered approach - one that fans might hope and expect to see - would be a team with a blend of experience and fresh faces against a side ranked 56th - 14 places behind Scotland - in Fifa’s world rankings.

How Pocognoli could line up against Slovenia

If Pocognoli has watched back Scotland's World Cup performances - and surely he has - then Jack Hendry and Lewis Ferguson are likely to feature highly in his thoughts. Those two were arguably the standout players in North America with several others failing to hit the heights.  

Angus Gunn was Scotland's number one goalkeeper at the World Cup despite playing virtually no club minutes last season and will likely retain the gloves ahead of limited competition. A move to the MLS with San Jose Earthquakes has provided the 30-year-old with the match fitness he has been lacking, although his record of 23 goals conceded in 11 matches is uninspiring.

If Pocognoli adopts the three-man defence for which he is most renowned, then expect at least one uncapped player to be given a starting berth. Hendry may be best suited to slot into the middle of the back three. Scott McKenna's aberration in Miami which gifted Brazil the opening goal of their 3-0 win that sent Scotland tumbling out of the tournament is still fresh in the memory.

But with a clean slate under Pocognoli, the Dinamo Zagreb man may be relied upon on the left of the defence ahead of the uncapped pair of Luke Graham and Luis Binks - the other two left-footed centre-backs in the squad.

It may be on the right of defence where we see a debutant in the form of Stephen Welsh. A standout on loan at Motherwell from Celtic last season, the centre-back is now part of a Swansea City side sitting top of the Championship after eight games.

Aaron Hickey saw his World Cup hampered by injury but the right-back has seven appearances for Brentford under his belt so far this season, including two starts. He seems ideally suited to the wing-back role that Pocognoli often prefers, with captain Andy Robertson on the left, although expect to see some minutes for Josh Doig over the course of the next four games after an impressive start to the season with Sassuolo.

For the two central midfield roles, Ferguson has been a regular for Bologna this season, while Billy Gilmour has recently broken into the Napoli team and scored in the 1-1 draw at Fiorentina at the weekend. With Scott McTominay unavailable as he recovers from minor heart surgery, John McGinn seems perfectly suited to play in the advanced midfield role.

Whoever Pocognoli picks up front, it will mark a different approach for Scotland as recent starters Che Adams, Lyndon Dykes and Lawrence Shankland are not in the squad.

In order to provide a balance between hold up play and running in behind, it would seem logical to pair Oli McBurnie - back in the fold for the first time since 2021 - with Ben Gannon-Doak, whose pace is an attacking weapon that even Clarke found impossible to ignore.

McBurnie has been in excellent form for a Hull City side sitting eighth in the Premier League. He has not scored yet this season but netted 19 times in the Championship last term.

Despite his lack of recent call ups he is the most experienced of the four strikers in the squad with 16 caps, albeit he has never scored for Scotland. You could certainly make the case for Kieron Bowie becoming Scotland's first choice no.9 under Pocognoli while there are also high hopes for Robbie Ure, who is still finding his feet in La Liga after a dream move to Sevilla following a prolific spell in Sweden.

Whatever the line-up, fans will hope to see a Scotland team that evolves from the pragmatic style under Clarke. One that entertains with a modern, high-intensity, aggressive front-foot style of football. Over to you Sebastien...

Predicted Scotland line-up (3-4-1-2): Gunn; Welsh, Hendry, McKenna; Hickey, Gilmour, Ferguson, Robertson; McGinn; Gannon-Doak, McBurnie.

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