No Covid-19 concerns over Czech Republic trip

STEVE CLARKE says his Scotland players will be kept safe if the Czech Republic is placed on a coronavirus quarantine list ahead of next month’s Nations League match. Clarke (right) yesterday named his squad for the Hampden fixture against Israel on September 4 and the trip to Olomouc three days later. Lyndon Dykes is included after picking Scotland ahead of Australia while there is also a first call-up for young Rangers goalkeeper Robby McCrorie, currently on loan at Livingston. Data issued this week showed the Czech Republic was at risk of being added to the quarantine lists of the UK and Scottish Governments due to the rate of daily infections. The Scotland squad would not need to isolate for 14 days on return if that happened as elite athletes operating in a bio-secure bubble are given dispensation. However, a red flag for Czech travel could potentially raise concerns among some clubs about releasing their players for the first international fixtures since lockdown. Under UEFA rules, a significant number of call-offs could open the way for a request for a neutral venue. ‘I don’t think I can allow that to enter my mind, really,’ he said, when asked about possible complications. ‘I just have to prepare for the games as they are. Listen, these times are completely unprecedented and really strange. There is a lot of reaction rather than being proactive because nobody knows what is going to happen, where the next outbreak is going to come. ‘We have Dr John MacLean (SFA’s chief medical consultant) who has been involved right from the very start. He’ll be in the camp. He will guide us, he will keep us safe — or as safe as it’s possible to be in these strange times.’ Clarke will be without trusted assistant Alex Dyer, who has decided to focus on his duties as Kilmarnock boss, when Scotland return to action for the first time in nine months. John Carver, a former colleague at Newcastle United and Reading, is the man Clarke wants to take his place.