It's make or break for Scotland's Euro 2024 hopes as they face Switzerland in Cologne tomorrow.

A 5-1 defeat in the opening game against Germany means Scotland's goal difference is already negative four. Another defeat tomorrow, even by a single goal, makes it almost impossible to qualify in third position - even if the team were to defeat Hungary.

Steve Clarke's side have only won once in their last ten games - against Gibraltar - and conceded 26 goals.

The pressure is on to arrest the slide and the manager will have to change things up after Ryan Porteous' two-match ban leaves him side-lined for the rest of the group stage.

Here are our writers' verdicts on how Clarke should line his team up.

Joshua Barrie

Clarke is unlikely to rip things up and start again against Switzerland. There's few options to change approach on the right and the Scotland boss has scarcely opted for a back four. Instead the biggest selection issues facing the 60-year-old arrive at centre-back and in centre-midfield. 

Grant Hanley was Clarke's first move to change the defence in Munich and is the most likely to slot in to the middle of a back three with Jack Hendry shifting to the right. Tony Ralston remains the only real option at right wing-back. 

The midfield is where Clarke has his most obvious change to make. Just like the last Euros, failing to start Billy Gilmour in matchday one will be addressed by reinstating the Brighton man for matchday two. Scotland need to compete and keep the ball in midfield. They have the players to win the game in that area if Gilmour, Callum McGregor, John McGinn and Scott McTominay start together. 

Che Adams was pretty anonymous against Germany although service to the Southampton man was non-existent. His off-ball work should still see him get the nod to lead the line.

Line-up: Gunn, Ralston, Hendry, Hanley, Tierney, Robertson, Gilmour, McGregor, McTominay, McGinn, Adams


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Matthew Lindsay

I would bring Hanley in to replace the suspended Porteous at centre half and deploy Gilmour alongside McGregor in central midfield ahead of them. I would keep faith in Ralston despite his poor showing against Germany. I would leave Ryan Christie on the bench and play McTominay and McGinn in more advanced roles just off Adams.

Stopping the Swiss from scoring has, given how porous the Scotland defence has been this season, to be the priority in the second Group A game in the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne. An in-play switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation has worked for Scotland in the past and I would like to see that, with Stuart Armstrong, Christie, James Forrest, Lewis Morgan and possibly even Tommy Conway all handed the chance to show what they can do, as the game progresses.    

Line-up: Gunn, Ralston, Robertson, Tierney, Hendry, Hanley, Gilmour, McGinn, McGregor, McTominay Adams.

Jonny McFarlane

Julian Nagelsmann outfoxed Clarke in the opening game, solving the tactical conundrum Tierney and Robertson pose by forcing play down the right where Scotland's personnel is less threatening. Murat Yakin will surely follow the same plan.

(Image: PA)

The only option for Clarke is to hope Ralston can improve or pitch in James Forrest. It's a bold idea but there's sound reasoning there. A big game player with a track record of performance when it counts, the Celtic winger would certainly be more of an attacking force than his teammate.

His selection would test his defensive qualities and because of that it would be a gamble, but what coach ever qualified with a smaller nation without the capacity to roll a dice.

Hanley is the obvious replacement for Porteous while Gilmour simply has to start. Scotland would still have lost had he played in Munich but it's hard to imagine they wouldn't have been better at retaining the ball and looked more structured with his metronomic presence in the centre of the pitch.

Line-up: Gunn, Forrest, Hendry, Hanley, Tierney, Robertson, Gilmour, McGregor, McTominay, McGinn, Adams