Strachan’s team selection guessing games are almost over

One way or another, the Gibraltar guessing games will finally be resolved when Scotland host the Group D minnows at Hampden tonight.

For a match where the outcome is effectively already known Gibraltar can currently be had at odds of 100/1 against with some bookmakers there have been no shortage of intriguing sub-plots.

Who will be the goalkeeper? Who will be the captain? How many goals will Scotland score? Will the previously frozen-out Jordan Rhodes get a start? How long will they take to get the all-important opener?

The national coach Gordon Strachan has been typical circumspect in addressing them all.

To summarise, he contends the answers to the first four questions shouldn’t really matter and the only thing sure about the fifth is that we can’t be sure of the answer.

“I am sure the fans will want something to warm them up right away but we can’t be sucked into trying to score with our very first touch of the ball,” he said.

“Gibraltar will be over the initial excitement of playing at this level and I think the fact Germany, the world champions, only scored four against them shows there is improvement there.”

The national coach did have sympathy for whichever keepers will miss out likely to be Craig Gordon and Allan McGregor with first choice pick David Marshall expected to return.

It was also potentially significant he chose to give Jordan Rhodes a timely vote of confidence.

The prolific Blackburn striker was left out in the cold for 17 months before his recall to action for the double-header of last week’s friendly against Northern Ireland and tonight’s Euro qualifier.

And while refusing to confirm suspicions he will be used against the Group D minnows at Hampden, the national boss was at pains to stress both his ability and his progress as a player.

“Jordan is probably the best out-and-out goalscorer we’ve got,” he said.

“I think we’ve evolved since he was last in the squad and I think he has the intelligence to get better all the time because he can take things in.

“But I believe he would find it easier playing with us now than it was two years ago. I think we make it easier for a striker to play with us now.

“We’ve got a few players that this would be the right type of game. We’ve picked the squad with that in mind.”

The choice of Scott Brown, rather than Darren Fletcher, for yesterday’s captain’s media duties was seen by some as an indicator that he will wear the armband.

The Celtic star was also on careful form yesterday, sidestepping questions about his night out for pizza and beer before the League Cup Final and talking up the privilege of being asked to lead your country out.

He also stressed how helpful Fletcher had been to him when he was still a young player in the Scotland dressing-room.