Craig Swan
are due to meet FA Cup winners Arsenal in the Community Shield at Wembley six days before the Israel tie.
But the rest of the Anglos will not play while Clarke knows he won’t have any players from Scotland outside the top flight with games under their belt.
That causes a problem for Hearts trio Steven Naismith, Craig Gordon and John Souttar.
The Premiership will be six fixtures down by that stage and some of the players from Celtic, Rangers, Motherwell as well as Aberdeen will have played in European competition.
It begs the question, would there be enough from the top flight in this country to fill a competitive starting side?
Going through the squads from the past couple of years, the guys who have played for Clarke and come under his supervision, the answer would appear to be yes.
Defensively the manager has options, with Dons centre-back Scott McKenna one who could easily be in the side, whether the Anglos are fully up to speed or not. The Pittodrie star is a squad regular when fit. Clarke has also blooded Declan Gallagher of Motherwell and his old Kilmarnock defender Stuart Findlay in the backline.
If he wanted to use a back four, the Fir Park man could move out to right-back while Celtic’s Greg Taylor could slot in at left-back.
Should he prefer a back three of McKenna, Gallagher and Findlay, ex-Rugby Park man Taylor could move to left wingLiverpool
McLaughlin, Gallagher, McKenna, Findlay, Taylor, Forrest, Jack, McGregor, Christie, Shankland, Griffiths. back with his club-mate James Forrest playing the same position on the opposite side.
The Parkhead winger has done it in the past for Neil Lennon and has the quality and adaptability to pull it off.
In the middle of the park Callum McGregor and Ryan Jack were starting games together for Clarke even when Anglos were available.
The Celtic and Rangers midfielders complemented
Marshall, Palmer, Hanley, Cooper, Mulgrew, McTominay, Fleck, Armstrong, McGinn, Fraser, Naismith. AVAILABLE FOR BOTH: Robertson, left, and Tierney. each other nicely when they were paired and could form a base with Ryan Christie just ahead of them in a more advanced midfield role.
If 4-4-2 is the preference chosen just from Premiership players, Christie and Forrest could play on either flank in front of Gallagher and Taylor, with McGregor and Jack named as a central two.
In attack, there’s plenty on offer. Dundee United striker Lawrence Shankland has started for Clarke in the past and worked his way into the squad thanks to his form in the Championship.
Killie’s Eamonn Brophy has also been capped, while talks are ongoing over recruiting Livingston’s Lyndon Dykes from under Australia’s noses.
If Leigh Griffiths manages to sort his fitness issues out, the Celtic striker could also play in the attacking position, having previously displayed his ability in dark blue.
Steven Fletcher might even come into the equation if Celtic settle on him as their preferred striking option in the 33-yearold’s search for a club. The former Sheffield Wednesday man was a revelation for Alex McLeish in the wins over Albania and Israel that clinched Scotland’s rescheduled Euro 2021 play-off dates.
Goalkeeper isn’t quite as clear-cut but there are a couple of back-ups at the Old Firm who have been capped for their country.
Jon McLaughlin has joined Rangers and there might be an outside chance he could get an outing at Ibrox.
Scott Bain played in Celtic’s Premiership opener against Hamilton on Sunday.
Clarke may well deem that one outing at Wembley in the Community Shield on top of the training regimes of Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta at Melwood and London Colney respectively as suitable for getting Robertson and Tierney up to the required levels.
If so, it can be argued there is a strong enough batch of players to go into the first competitive game and take away any concerns for the manager.