Stoke City defender Luke Graham and Sevilla forward Robbie Ure are set to receive their first full Scotland call-ups when new head coach Sebastien Pocognoli names his squad on Tuesday. The 22-year-olds are poised to be included for the Nations League B opener away to Slovenia on 26 September, which will be Pocognoli's first match in charge. This fixture is the first of three in a key window for Scotland, who will also face Switzerland and North Macedonia by 6 October. The full schedule can be seen on our fixtures page.
Luke Graham, a centre-half, joined Stoke from Dundee in the summer for £2 million after a standout season where he won both the players' player and young player of the year awards. He has started strongly in the Championship, playing every minute for an unbeaten Stoke side in their last four games. Graham trained with the senior squad during World Cup preparations and was an unused substitute in the friendly win over Curaçao, having previously earned three caps for the under-21s.
Robbie Ure, also 22, moved to Sevilla from Swedish side Sirius for £5.5 million after a prolific spell where he scored 20 goals in 20 matches. His form helped Sirius top the Allsvenskan table, though he is yet to score for his new club in Spain. The striker, who is also eligible to play for Ukraine through his grandparents, left Rangers' academy as a youngster for Anderlecht before his breakout in Sweden.
Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken said he is "confident" players from his club will be included, with the front three of James Wilson, Calvin Miller and Josh McPake in strong form. Former Scotland captain Scott Brown also highlighted the contributions of the Hearts wingers this season. The new manager takes over a side sitting third in their World Cup group with three points from three games, having lost their last two matches 3-0 to Brazil and 1-0 to Morocco. The team's current position in the qualifying table is detailed in our standings.
Pocognoli, who succeeded Steve Clarke after the World Cup group stage exit, will oversee a squad looking to build momentum after a run of three wins in their last five outings. The upcoming Nations League campaign offers a fresh start as the team aims to climb the rankings and integrate new talents from the wider squad.
Read the full report at BBC Sport Football
