Card-happy refs could cause real chaos for Clarke

STEVE CLARKE has close to his strongest possible squad of players at his disposal for the first time as Scotland’s World Cup qualifying bid comes to the nitty gritty.

After two years of chiselling a large group with potential into a streamlined team with purpose he could well be forgiven for sending out the same starting XI game on game should injuries allow.

Yet as the stakes continue to grow ahead of tonight’s latest ‘must win’ in the Faroes, Clarke might just be of mind to tinker with his side.

Why? Well, there’s 10 good reasons.

With the play-offs almost within touching distance – two wins to be precise – Scotland have an entire outfield team on a suspension tightrope.

Andy Robertson, Billy Gilmour, John McGinn and Lyndon Dykes are all among the 4-3-3 of Scots stars one booking away from missing a game.

Should that arrive in Torshavn tonight they will be out of what we can only hope will be the chance to clinch that play-off spot with a game to spare in Moldova next month.

It’s bad enough that two single bookings are enough to see a player banned for a game in a 10-match campaign when little more than breathing on an opponent can result in a caution.

Worse, suspensions carry forward into the play-offs should the second booking arrive in the final group match. Absolutely ridiculous.

It’s a dilemma bound to be working on Clarke and his team in all three of our closing Group F matches. For the record Nathan Patterson, Stephen O’Donnell, Jack Hendry, Ryan Christie, Che Adams and Kevin Nisbet are the other six Scots on bookings.

Had it not been for VAR saving our a**e against Israel then Dykes would be sitting out tonight’s clash in Torshavn along with injured Adams.

Thankfully the video assistants – who have correctly saved Scotland four points in two matches – were on the ball.

Only Clarke knows how he might chop and change this evening but

Scotland have an entire outfield team on a suspension tightrope

you’d think Dykes will get the nod to lead the line but, with Nisbet and Christie on yellows too, it would make sense to pair him with Ryan Fraser in a little and large double act.

At the back Grant Hanley will surely return to a defence that was screaming out for an organiser against Israel.

Does Hendry move to the right of the three and Scott McTominay – who has a clean discipline record so far – drop out for the back three that stood firm in Austria?

McTominay could move into the middle to save Gilmour or McGinn from a costly caution.

A balance between winning and protecting the group from suspension is going to be difficult.