Clarke won't 'experiment too much' for Iceland friendly

The head coach called up seven uncapped players as his squad step up their preparations for their World Cup qualifying campaign, which begins in September.

Hibernian forward Kieron Bowie and Sassuolo full-back Josh Doig were called up for the first time, along with Connor Barron, Lennon Miller, Andy Irving, Cieran Slicker and Robby McCrorie.

Nevertheless, Clarke says he will stick with tried and trusted for the visit of Iceland to Hampden Park on Friday, before his side travel to Vaduz to face Liechtenstein three days later.

"I think you know me quite well by now - we don't really experiment too much," he told reporters during his pre-match press conference.

"With any team, there has to be a cycle and a turnover of players eventually.

"You're bringing these young players in to feel the level of the group, to understand where they need to get to, to be selected regularly. That's important.

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"The young ones are in a good place. There's one or two of them coming into this camp better than the last time they came."

Those tried and trusted will include the likes of Andy Robertson, John McGinn and Scott McTominay, with the latter fresh from helping Napoli win the Scudetto.

Skipper Robertson paid tribute to the newer faces in the squad, highlighting their importance.

"Me, Scott, John, we're not going to be around forever. Then, it's up to the young lads," he said.

"It will soon be their squad. They will then have to step up and set standards, so them understanding how difficult international football is, is crucial.