On Wednesday, the Tartan Army will learn which players are flying to Germany.

“Who’s going to board the plane?” As soon as Scotland secured their spot in the finals, the questions regarding the team that would travel to Germany for Euro 2024 started.

After months of speculation about Steve Clarke’s final squad composition due to player turnover and injury developments, the Tartan Army will finally have (nearly) all of their questions answered on Wednesday when the head coach makes his pick.

Clarke and his staff have been considering every position, the backup for that position, the adaptable players who can play many roles, and the impact players who may change a game when called on from the bench as the group games against Germany, Switzerland, and Hungary get closer.

One week prior to the team’s debut at the Allianz Arena on June 7, Clarke is not need to formally submit a final 26-man roster to UEFA.

The national team manager has made the difficult option to bring two extra players to the pre-tournament camp and make a difficult decision later on, but like many other international managers, he has chosen to go ahead and make his pick now.

Not too long ago, after using 29 different players during the qualifiers, Clarke faced the challenge of selecting a final 23-man squad to travel to Germany. Strong competition at every position necessitated difficult decisions, and most observers could have reasonably predicted the starting lineup for the encounter with Germany.

Subsequently, two events transpired that altered the squad’s perspective. Initially, as the sport dealt with Covid-19, UEFA decided to increase squad sizes to meet the 26-man group that had been permitted for Euro 2020. Secondly, several Scottish players suffered injuries, with one position being particularly affected.

Despite being only 21 years old and having only made his Scotland debut in 2022, Aaron Hickey’s 14 international appearances gave him a strong chance to start at right back at the Euros. He has excelled at every level, from his Hearts debut to spells in Serie A with Bologna and the Premier League with Brighton.

However, he was unable to participate in the club season due to a hamstring injury that he sustained in October. This past Monday, following months of uncertainty regarding his availability, it was announced that he would not be able to compete in the summer tournament.

Nathan Patterson of Everton, another rising prospect who has already earned 21 caps for his country, was right behind Hickey in the standings. The former Rangers player will not play in the Euros due to a hamstring issue.

Aside from the two youthful full-backs, Lewis Ferguson, a midfielder for Bologna, suffered a cruciate ligament injury near the conclusion of an incredible Serie A season, depriving Clarke of another one of his emerging prospects.

Along with several players coming back from injury or limited playing time, Clarke has found himself with more openings than he had anticipated and possibly more difficult choices to make.

The choice to pick an initial 28-man squad, according to Scotland assistant coach John Carver, was taken to give staff members time to assess players who were healing from late-season injuries or who hadn’t contributed much to their team during the league final.

According to Carver, Clarke and his associates have been keeping an eye on a group of “roughly forty players” who play for teams in “Scotland, England, Europe, and America.” In addition to performance, they have also examined statistics and information on minutes played.

With a bigger group, there will be tough competition for spots and a cruel ultimatum to bench two players who will have contributed to the build-up and have their own aspirations of making an impression in Germany.

Because of all of these variables, there is inevitably going to be some surprises and even more conjecture about who might get the call.

When questioned about specific players, Carver was reticent, saying, “You’ll have to wait and see,” each time a name or even a position was brought up.

Clarke’s time as Scotland boss over the last few years, including the last Euros, has shown us there’s often a balance in his selections.

The former West Brom, Reading and Kilmarnock boss shows an admirable loyalty to the players who have put in a shift for him before, and he is quick to remind others of the value of those who helped get the team to this point.

That was in evidence when Lawrence Shankland’s goal-scoring form saw plenty of talk about him being Scotland’s starting striker, but Clarke addressed those questions by pointing out the contributions of Lyndon Dykes and Che Adams over the last couple of years.

Continuity and the benefits of a group that has bonded over time are clearly valued by Clarke but he has also shown a willingness to take a bold decision when the opportunity presents itself.

That was evident when naming his squad for Euro 2020, when the core group that had ended the decades-long exile from international tournaments were rewarded with a place at the finals. But Clarke also sprang a surprise when he named a trio of uncapped players, with Patterson, Billy Gilmour and David Turnbull all called up.

Space in the squad, particularly in the initial 28, means there’s real potential for similar surprises this time around and there have already been reports suggesting players who might be the beneficiaries.

Ross McCrorie has been mentioned, as have Liverpool youngster Ben Doak and Aberdeen’s Connor Barron. None have international caps but they’ll certainly have made sure their phone was nearby over the past few days.

Each area of the team has settled regulars and nailed-on starters but throughout the squad there’s potential for surprises.

Clarke will now put his larger group through their paces in training and in the friendlies against Gibraltar and Finland before making his final call for the Euros.

Does four need to fit into three for the number one spot?

Norwich City’s Angus Gunn declared his allegiance to Scotland last March and has been undisputed first choice ever since. The 28-year-old has nine caps so far and it would be a huge surprise if anyone else was in goal when Scotland kick off the Euros against Germany.

Zander Clark’s season as Hearts number one has surely cemented his place in the squad but there’s genuine uncertainty about the remaining place – assuming Clarke names only three keepers, as he did for Euro 2020.

Craig Gordon was out for more than a year after a horrific double leg break and while Clark has remained first choice at Tynecastle, Gordon has played in Scottish Cup games and the last three Premiership games. The 41-year-old has 74 caps and would bring huge experience to the squad.

Motherwell’s Liam Kelly has just the one cap, against France last year, but has been a squad regular over the past four years and had been vying with Clark to be back-up to Gunn before Gordon’s return.

Clark may name all four for the provisional squad but a tough decision will need to be made by June 7, if not this week.

Injury nightmares cause defensive headache

Clarke won’t have wasted much time in jotting down the names of the players who have been regulars across the qualifying campaign.

Captain Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Jack Hendry, and Ryan Porteous will all be rightly confident of their place.

Greg Taylor is the settled deputy for Robertson, while Liam Cooper and John Souttar are likely to be included. Fit-again Grant Hanley is a Clarke favourite and his return to the Norwich bench will probably mean a return to the Scotland fold.

Filling that right wing-back spot is the big decision here and Celtic’s Anthony Ralston is expected to be the man who steps up in the absence of Hickey and Patterson.

Ross McCrorie might be called up and Max Johnston could also be in contention, though a lack of game time at Sturm Graz may count against the 20-year-old.

Settled midfield but room for a surprise

The strongest area of the team makes for the simplest decisions. John McGinn, Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour, Callum McGregor and Ryan Christie are certainties to be in the final squad. Kenny McLean was robbed of a place at the last Euros after injury and he is another who can count on being on the plane to Germany.

Ryan Jack and Stuart Armstrong are both returning from injury and lacking match fitness. But when Carver talked about the expanded squad allowing space to have a look at players who don’t have a lot of recent minutes, those two midfielders are exactly the players he would have had in mind.

There looks to be room in midfield for at least one surprise, with Connor Barron fitting the bill for an uncapped player who is given the chance to step up and benefit from the experience.

Ryan Gauld’s exploits for Vancouver Whitecaps mean he has his fans but that hasn’t been enough to persuade Clark so far. Could the versatile attacking midfielder be an option the manager decides is good to have in Germany?

Attacking options and a possible wildcard or two

One of the stories of the season has been Lawrence Shankland’s prolific goalscoring and the Hearts captain has gone from being Scotland contender to must-have. He’ll be in the squad alongside Lyndon Dykes and Che Adams but that’s unlikely to be the extent of the forwards in the squad.

Jacob Brown has been capped eight times by Clarke and while he hasn’t scored, the manager sees something in the Luton attacker and may add him to the mix.

Beyond that, there’s the possibility for something more intriguing. Liverpool’s teenage forward Ben Doak has been mentioned, and though injury disrupted his season after he broke into Jurgen Klopp’s first team squad, he is back in training.

Ross Stewart is back in the Southampton squad after missing almost the entire season but might be a more likely challenger for a place further down the line. Tommy Conway’s 12 goals for Bristol City this season catch the eye when looking for other potential goalscorers.

Lewis Morgan’s sparkling form for New York Red Bulls (nine goals from 14 games this year) make him an intriguing wildcard choice, but the 27-year-old’s two caps came under Alex McLeish back in 2018.

If one player has timed a run of form to perfection ahead of the squad announcement, it’s Celtic’s James Forrest. Sat on the sidelines for most of the season, the winger returned to first team action late in the season and showed his enduring value to the Parkhead side with goals and impressive performances.

Not so long ago, Forrest was the main man for club and country. With the possibility he could solve a problem at right wing-back, as well as providing creativity and a goal threat if introduced to the attack, the 32-year-old might have staked his claim at just the right time.

Carver said that Clarke and his staff will be going over their selection right up until Wednesday morning. The time for the final decision is near and the verdict on whether the right calls have been made will come in Munich, Cologne and Stuttgart next month.