McTominay and Tierney back for Scotland as Penrice earns first call-up
Scotland recall Scott McTominay, Kieran Tierney and Che Adams for the Nations League games against North Macedonia and Switzerland, with a first call-up for James Penrice.
Scotland head coach Sebastien Pocognoli has recalled Scott McTominay, Kieran Tierney and Che Adams for the remaining Nations League fixtures, at home to North Macedonia and away to Switzerland. The squad also includes a first call-up for left-back James Penrice, while uncapped midfielder Kristi Montgomery, a late addition to the previous group, keeps his place.
Pocognoli has trimmed the pool to 26 players, though he has retained four goalkeepers. Scott McKenna and Kenny McLean are absent through injury, and Lennon Miller, Josh Doig, Colby Donovan and James Wilson have dropped out of the squad.
McTominay returns after scoring four goals in seven appearances for Napoli since recovering from a minor heart procedure. Adams has doubled his Torino tally for the season with two goals in five Serie A games following a short absence with an adductor issue. Penrice, 27, has impressed at Rangers since joining on loan from AEK Athens, and Montgomery, 22, has started all but one Championship match for Blackburn Rovers this season.
Scotland sit third in Group B1 after a first block of four matches that brought disappointing home defeats to Switzerland and Slovenia. Pocognoli's side need at least four points from the two remaining games to have any chance of finishing second and reaching the promotion play-offs, while a single point would remove any threat of relegation. Switzerland lead the group on maximum points, with Slovenia three points ahead of Scotland.
The results have left Scotland with little room for error in the final fixtures, and the returns of McTominay, Tierney and Adams give Pocognoli more established options for the matches against North Macedonia and Switzerland. The inclusion of Penrice and the retention of Montgomery point to fresh faces remaining part of the setup as Scotland try to keep their promotion hopes alive.
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