Clarke: It’s best we leave
against Serbia in November. That means Clarke and his squad will ins tead be based at Middlesbrough’s training ground in the north- east of England.
Their time on Teesside will start following their return from a camp in Spain, during which they will face friendlies against Holland and Luxembourg.
Hampden wi l l host Scotland’s Group D games with the Czechs and Croatia either side of a trip to Wembley to face Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions.
Boss Clarke said: “The most important aspect for me is that we give the players the best possible conditions to perform at Euro 2020.
“That includes the best possible training facilities available and making sure that travel plans are as efficient as they can be for the matches.
“Rockliffe Park enables us to achieve all of that while allowing players to focus
completely on doing the best they can without any distractions.
“Playing the Netherlands and Luxembourg lets us prepare with two different styles of opposition.”
Scotland will head to La Finca in Spain from May 27, playing the Dutch in Faro, Portugal, on June 2.
Their second friendly will follow in Luxembourg City on June 6, eight days before the Czechs ar r ive at Hampden for that crunch Euros opener.
Clarke wants his troops in top shape and added: “For the players, this will have been one of the most intense seasons in their careers.
“Matches have been played behind closed doors. A congested calendar has meant many wi l l have played three games a week.
“When the domestic season ends there will be a menta l and physica l deficit to overcome in a short period of time.
“That’s why La Finca will be so important, due to the unpredictabil ity of the weather in Scotland and the close proximity of La Finca to the two matches we are playing.”