Scotland boss Alex McLeish admits he has been torn between the two Old Firm goalkeepers at his disposal.
McLeish finds himself having to choose between Celtic’s Craig Gordon and Allan McGregor of Rangers for the number one spot in the friendly against Belgium at Hampden tonight and Monday’s Uefa Nations League opener against Albania.
He indicated he will give each keeper a game apiece, although he wouldn’t be drawn on who would get first go at wearing the gloves this evening.
Asked if he had made up his mind, McLeish said: “I have.
“It is a tough decision but I’m in cahoots with Stevie Woods, the goalie coach.
“He is very fair with the two experienced goalies, and Jordan Archer as well.
“Stevie and I had big discussions a couple of weeks ago before the squad assembled about how we play this.”
Asked if the man who gets the nod tonight will be in the driving seat going forward, McLeish replied: “I don’t think you can say that.
“It’s difficult when you’ve got two goalies of a tremendous level.
“England had that problem way back in the day with Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence and it was one (game) each.
“For these two games, we have had an amicable agreement.
“We will wait to see how the games go and see what suits the style of play we have in a game.
“If somebody has 40 world-class saves against Belgium then he might have nailed his position but it’s a very difficult decision.
“It’s so difficult for me to say that, ongoing, I can definitely pick one above the other.”
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McLeish did confirm that the Scots will go with a three-man central defence in order to squeeze the two star left-backs – Liverpool’s Andy Robertson and Celtic’s Kieran Tierney – into the team.
He said: “Yeah, that’s in my head but we’re not averse to changing it to four at any given moment.
“You saw the flexibility of teams at the World Cup. We have got options to do that.
“We will be looking at different players for the two games.
“In general, there will be players playing in both games.
“When it comes to the Nations League against Albania, that is the most important game for us.
“The two of them are very important.
“We want to show a good performance level against Belgium, show we have the legs to match them and have the skills to hurt them going into the Nations League match, which is competition time.”
The Scots boss is looking forward to seeing his new captain Robertson lead the team out for the first time.
He added: “It is a magnificent story.
“I thought he was a great candidate.
“There were a few candidates and for me he was the outstanding one.
“He carries himself extremely well, he talks assertively and he knows what he’s doing on the pitch.
“The players take to him and he is very respectful of his teammates.
“He has been a good story for Scottish football and he’s an inspiration to all the young players when people tell them they’re not going to make it. Keep going. You’ve got to keep going.”
