Scotland vs. Portugal
International Friendly
Sunday, Oct. 14 | 11 a.m. CT | ESPN+
Hampden Park | Glasgow, Scotland
Johnny Russell and the Scotland Men's National Team will look to bounce back from a narrow defeat to Israel in the UEFA Nations League when they welcome world No. 7-ranked Portugal on Sunday. The friendly match will kick off at 11 a.m. CT and stream live on ESPN+.
Russell earned his third international start and his eighth career cap on Thursday as Scotland surrendered a first-half lead in a 2-1 loss at Israel. The Sporting Kansas City forward started and played 67 minutes before exiting with the score tied at 1-1.
Scotland will conclude their UEFA Nations League group stage campaign next month, visiting Albania on Nov. 17 prior to hosting Israel on Nov. 20. Sunday's contest against Portugal will serve as a precursor and give head coach Alex McLeish's side the opportunity to return to winning ways against the UEFA Euro 2016 champions.
A reshuffled Scotland squad has been reduced to 20 players going into the weekend. Charlie Mulgrew, Robert Snodgrass, John Souttar and Kieran Tierney have all departed the team, while Ryan Christie, Michael Devlin and Gary Mackay-Steven have joined. Russell remains the only Scotland player to compete at the club level outside of Great Britain.
Upstart Portugal claimed a momentous 3-2 road win over Poland on Thursday to take a commanding lead atop Group 3 in UEFA Nations League A. Sevilla forward Andre Silva and Manchester City winger Bernardo Silva were among the goal scorers, propelling the Selecao to an impressive victory despite the absence of its all-time leading scorer Cristiano Ronaldo.
Following Sunday's game, Russell will rejoin Sporting KC ahead of their pivotal Wednesday night matchup at Vancouver Whitecap FC. Kickoff at BC Place is slated for 9 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest and FOX Sports GO.
Scotland Roster
Goalkeepers (3): Craig Gordon (Celtic), Allan McGregor (Rangers), Jon McLaughlin (Sunderland)
Defenders (6): Michael Devlin (Aberdeen), Jack Hendry (Celtic), Scott McKenna (Aberdeen), Stephen O’Donnell (Kilmarnock), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), Graeme Shinnie (Aberdeen)
Midfielders (8): Stuart Armstrong (Southampton), Ryan Christie (Celtic), James Forrest (Celtic), Gary Macaky-Steven (Aberdeen), Kevin McDonald (Fulham), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Callum McGregor (Celtic), Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
Forwards (3): Oliver McBurnie (Swansea City), Steven Naismith (Hearts), Johnny Russell (Sporting Kansas City)
