Gordon and Naismith to start for Scots

September 9, 2009

Scotland received a boost ahead of their crunch World Cup qualifier against Holland at Hampden tonight with the news that Craig Gordon will be fit for the match despite picking ip a thigh injury during the weekends match.

Alan Hutton, David Weir, Stephen McManus and Steven Whittaker will form the defence, with Paul Hartley playing just in front of the back four.

Steven Naismith will play wide left in a midfield also featuring Scott Brown, Darren Fletcher and Shaun Maloney.

Forward Kenny Miller will play the lone striker’s role against the Dutch.

Naismith comes in for Burnley striker Steven Fletcher and, alongside Maloney, will be tasked with providing width against the Dutch.

Midfielder Brown, who was struggling with an ankle injury, will play, but there is no place in the team for Celtic team-mate Gary Caldwell who is back from suspension.

Captain Giovanni Van Bronckhorst stressed that coach Bert van Marwijk would be playing his strongest available side in Glasgow, despite the Dutch having already qualified and leading the group by 11 points.

But they will be without injured PSV Eindhoven playmaker Ibrahim Afellay and he is looks like being joined on the sidelines by Stekelenburg.

The Ajax goalkeeper had been expected to return to the side after missing the Japan match with an injured finger.

However, it is now appears likely that Utrecht’s Michel Vorm, who started in his place against the Japanese, will face Scotland ahead of Vitesse Arnhem’s Piet Velthuizen, who came on at half-time.

Scotland counterpart Gordon sat out training on Monday and, like Stekelenburg, faces a fitness test on Wednesday morning ahead of the game.

Cardiff City goalkeeper David Marshall is available should Gordon fail to recover.

James McFadden misses the game through suspension and Callum Davidson is out with a hamstring injury.

Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg is likely to miss out, but midfielder Wesley Sneijder has been passed fit.

Sneijder was taken to hospital after picking up an ankle injury in Saturday’s 3-0 friendly win over Japan.

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