Pocognoli era begins for Scotland with tricky trip to Slovenia

A new era for Scotland

Scotland travelled to the Stadion Stožice in Ljubljana on Saturday for the opening match of their UEFA Nations League B campaign against Slovenia — also the first game in charge for 39-year-old Belgian head coach Sebastien Pocognoli. He took over the national team following Steve Clarke's departure, which came after Scotland's disappointing group-stage exit at the World Cup, a tournament they had reached for the first time in 28 years.

Pocognoli previously managed Union Saint-Gilloise and Monaco, overseeing 107 games in total as a club coach, while as a player he earned 13 caps for Belgium as a left-back. Compared to Clarke and many other international managers, he is considered relatively inexperienced.

New faces in the squad

Ahead of the match, Pocognoli ran a training camp in La Manga, Spain, and named several debutants in his first Scotland squad, including Sevilla striker Robbie Ure and Swansea City defender Stephen Welsh. According to the BBC, twelve squad members were not part of the World Cup campaign in the United States, and eight are awaiting their first senior cap. Striker Oli McBurnie also returns, making his first appearance for Scotland since March 2021. Captain Andy Robertson, who will win his 98th cap, said he has been impressed by the new players' "energy and enthusiasm."

Pocognoli is widely expected to deploy a 3-4-3 system, though a possible lineup reported by the Guardian suggested a 5-3-2 shape: Gunn; Hickey, McKenna, Hendry, Welsh, Robertson; McGinn, Gilmour, Ferguson; McBurnie, Ure.

Slovenia in difficult form

Slovenia, managed by former defender Bostjan Cesar, arrive at the match having won just one of their last ten games. Their preparation suffered a further blow when Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko withdrew from the squad due to a shin injury, along with other players ruled out through injury. Goalkeeper Jan Oblak captains the side and is set to win his 85th international cap; with Sesko unavailable, Andraz Sporar may lead the Slovenian attack.

The two sides last met in 2017, when a 2-2 draw ended Scotland's hopes of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup — a match in which both Robertson and current Slovenia coach Cesar featured, with Cesar sent off late in the game.

Following this match, Scotland face Switzerland at home, North Macedonia away, and a rematch against Slovenia at Hampden Park on 6 October.