Caps beckon for Scotland hopefuls

SCOTLAND v NORTHERN IRELAND
Venue: Hampden Park Date: Wednesday, 20 August Kick-off: 2000 BST Coverage: Live on BBC Radio Scotland, coverage on the BBC Sport website and highlights on BBC One Scotland at 2315 BST

By Andy Campbell

Barr is in line for a first cap against Northern Ireland

Scotland's friendly against Northern Ireland at Hampden will act as a final preparation for both nations ahead of the upcoming 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

And with Scotland boss George Burley readying himself for his first qualification campaign as a national manager, Wednesday's match is especially pertinent for the home side.

The Scots are already without injured captain Barry Ferguson for the matches against Macedonia, Iceland and Norway.

And a series of call-offs ahead of the Northern Ireland clash has opened the door for some of the squad's uncapped players to stake their claim for places.

In defence, Darren Barr could be handed his Scotland bow after an impressive rise to prominence with Falkirk. The 23-year-old is now club captain and first tasted the international arena when he was capped for Scotland's B team last year.

Steven Whittaker has been deployed in a number of positions since moving to Rangers last summer, but has played most of his career at full-back. Effective going forward, the 24-year-old can provide pace and width but needs to improve on the defensive part of his game.

Derby County midfielder Kris Commons was the most surprising name on the list when Burley announced his squad.

Formerly of Stoke City and Nottingham Forest, the winger scores regularly from midfield, something Scotland have lacked in recent qualification campaigns.

Midfielder Thomson is a first-pick for Rangers

Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson is not a regular scorer, but has commanded a consistent first-team place in Walter Smith's side over the past year-and-a-half, including Champions League and Uefa Cup matches.

The former Hibernian player can be influential but suffers from inconsistency and lacks an attacking edge.

As well as giving debuts to players, Burley may also use the friendly to further establish the international careers of Hearts pair Christophe Berra and Michael Stewart, James Morrison of West Bromwich Albion, Celtic's Barry Robson, Steven Fletcher of Hibernian and Motherwell's David Clarkson.

The Scotland boss has yet to win in his new post following a draw against Croatia in March before the defeat in Prague. And victory against Nigel Worthington's side will be far from easy.

MY SPORT: DEBATE Who would Scotland fans like to see play against Northern Ireland?

Like the Scots, Northern Ireland narrowly missed out on qualification to Euro 2008 and, in David Healy, boast one of the most prolific scorers in international football.

A number of players in the visiting squad will be familiar to Scottish fans, including Motherwell captain Stephen Craigan, Hibernian midfielder Dean Shiels and striker Warren Feeney, who recently joined Dundee United on loan from Cardiff City.

Captain Steven Davis has also played in Scotland, spending six months on loan at Rangers last season from Fulham and the midfielder is expected to return to Ibrox in a permanent move before the close of the transfer window.

International friendlies so early in the season are not necessarily the best indicator of form, but the 'local derby' element of Wednesday's match should give fans an entertaining encounter.