Bolivia vs Scotland - prediction, team news, lineups

Scotland circular disconnected their 2026 World Cup preparations erstwhile they look Bolivia astatine Sports Illustrated Stadium successful New Jersey connected Saturday.

While the Tartan Army are presently ranked 43rd successful the satellite by FIFA, La Verde are positioned 34 places beneath them successful 77th spot.

Match preview

Scotland’s 28-year World Cup hiatus volition travel to an extremity this summertime pursuing an enthralling decision to their qualification run astatine the extremity of 2025, pipping Denmark to apical spot successful their radical with a 4-2 location victory.

The Tartan Army won 4 of their six UEFA qualifiers successful full (D1 L1) earlier kick-starting 2026 successful disappointing manner with back-to-back 1-0 affable defeats to Japan and Ivory Coast during March’s planetary break.

However, caller aft signing a four-year declaration extension, caput manager Steve Clarke steered his Scotland broadside to a morale-boosting 4-1 triumph implicit Curacao astatine Hampden Park past weekend. The visitors had taken a daze pb earlier they were reduced to 10 men, allowing the hosts to crook the contention connected its head.

That triumph is 1 of lone 3 Scotland person recorded crossed their past 14 friendlies (D3 L8), but Clarke volition person religion successful his squad to present different affirmative show connected Saturday arsenic they finalise their World Cup preparations connected American ungraded up of Group C encounters with Haiti, Morocco and Brazil.

As for Bolivia, they person antecedently competed astatine the 1930, 1950 and 1994 World Cups, but they narrowly missed retired connected qualification for this summer’s tourney aft losing successful the inter-confederation playoffs.

The South American federation finished seventh successful the 10-team CONMEBOL standings and secured their playoff spot with a astonishment 1-0 triumph implicit Brazil successful their last fixture. La Verde past edged past Suriname 2-1 successful the playoff semi-finals earlier suffering decision by the aforesaid scoreline against Iraq successful the last astatine the extremity of March.

Oscar Villegas remains successful complaint of the nationalist squad contempt World Cup playoff heartache, and the 56-year-old whitethorn present instrumentality an experimental attack to Bolivia’s upcoming planetary matches arsenic they statesman their preparations for the 2028 Copa America.

Bolivia person ne'er faced Saturday’s opponents Scotland earlier and they caput into this contention successful New Jersey with a grounds of 5 wins, 1 gully and 7 defeats successful their past 13 planetary games implicit the past 12 months.

Bolivia signifier (all competitions):

Scotland signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour has been ruled retired of the 2026 World Cup owed to wounded and has been replaced successful the squad by Manchester United teen Tyler Fletcher, who impressed connected his planetary debut against Curacao and is acceptable to beryllium progressive again connected Saturday.

Fellow 19-year-old Findlay Curtis scored his archetypal extremity for Scotland past clip retired and the Rangers winger could beryllium rewarded with his archetypal elder commencement for his country, portion Ben Gannon-Doak whitethorn run connected the other flank.

Lawrence Shankland has laid down a beardown starting assertion aft scoring a brace against Curacao. George Hirst, Che Adams, Lyndon Dykes and Ross Stewart supply alternate options up front, portion cardinal midfield duo Scott McTominay and John McGinn are expected to beryllium progressive successful immoderate capacity.

As for Bolivia, Diego Medina and Dieguito Rodriguez are incapable to play aft being refused US visas, portion Moises Villarroel is besides unavailable arsenic helium is finalising a transportation to Bulgarian broadside CSKA Sofia.

In addition, Moises Paniagua and Ramiro Vaca person not been granted support by their Moroccan nine Wydad Casablanca to study for planetary duty, portion Jesus Maraude and Hector Cuellar are sidelined with injuries.

As a result, Villegas has called up 8 teenagers to his squad including guardant Nabil Nacif, who astatine the property of 16 years and 8 months could go the third-youngest subordinate successful Bolivian past to correspond the nationalist squad aft Mario Alborta backmost successful 1926 (16 years, 3 months) and Paniagua successful 2024 (16 years, 7 months).

Bolivia imaginable starting lineup:

Viscarra; Macazaga, Torrez, Haquin, Fernandez; Tome, E. Vaca, Melgar; Terceros, Centella, Nacif

Scotland imaginable starting lineup:

Gunn; Patterson, Hendry, McKenna, Tierney; Gannon-Doak, McLean, McTominay, Curtis; Shankland, Adams

We say: Bolivia 0-2 Scotland

Scotland volition beryllium regarded arsenic favourites to bushed a depleted Bolivia outfit missing a fig of first-team players. Given the disparity successful quality, Clarke is expected to equilibrium squad rotation with tactical fine-tuning, but the Tartan Army should inactive person acold excessively overmuch firepower, starring america to foretell a regular triumph to wrapper up their World Cup preparations connected a affirmative note.

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