New-look squad, but how will Pocognoli's Scotland line-up?

Showtime is fast approaching for Sebastien Pocognoli's Scotland.

The Tartan Army are taking over the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana and their heroes will join them later on Friday when they fly in from La Manga for Saturday's opening Nations League game.

Scotland's new head coach took a fair few fresh faces out to Spain, something that earned him early kudos from supporters who were calling for a bit of shake-up in the squad - but how does that translate to his team?

Adding eight uncapped players to a 27-man squad - before releasing Findlay Curtis and James Wilson to the under-21s - is one thing, but will the line-up reflect such a shift when it drops on the national team's social media channels on Saturday afternoon?

Former Scotland winger Pat Nevin thinks it would be "slightly bizarre" to see any more than two uncapped starters, while his fellow ex-international, James McFadden, insists the team will look "pretty similar" without any "big surprises".

So is it a case of the more things change, the more they stay the same for Scotland?

Going by what we know of Pocognoli's past, many are leading with the assumption he will play a back-three in defence.

The addition of Stephen Welsh, Luke Graham and Luis Binks - all new to the Scotland set-up - perhaps offers a sneak-peak as to what could come further down the line, but for now, will it be a more tried and trusted trio?

Jack Hendry and Scott McKenna - although the latter now does have left-footed competition in Graham and Binks - appear to be favoured by most, but what of the the right centre-back?

McFadden thinks pushing Brentford right-back Aaron Hickey there will help "drive" the team forward.

"I hope the centre-backs aren't the players on the team who have the ball the most," the former Scotland forward said on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I don't want to see this centre-back to centre-back play. If they're getting it, I want them to drive and I think, if you had Hickey as a right-centre-back, he'd be driving into the play and trying to commit to going forward.

"I don't want them just sitting in a safe position, playing around the back. I don't want to see that, it's boring."

One player who is seldom boring for Scotland is Billy Gilmour.

The midfielder's presence was missed at the World Cup, but after signing off from Serie A at the weekend with a goal for Napoli, he is returning ready to go.

Nevin will be making a swift exit from the Stozice Stadium if Gilmour is not starting - where he will surely be beside Lewis Ferguson.

"One of, if not the best player for us at the World Cup," McFadden said of the Bologna captain, who will surely look to his left and find captain Andy Robertson at wing-back.

"You're not going to go and change the midfield up. I don't think there's a need for a change for change's sake.

"I think that the freshness was needed, but I'm just looking forward to seeing them actually play and see if there's any difference in how they approach it - if they are more aggressive in a press and more dominant with possession."

Central to that will be John McGinn.

At times, Scotland have struggled to get the Aston Villa captain in his best position in midfield - and yet he still never fails to perform.

With Scott McTominay missing from the squad as he recovers from successful minor heart surgery, Nevin suggested: "We need his explosiveness in the final third, so I would like to see him a little bit further forward."

It is the same old names so far - with Bournemouth winger Ben Gannon-Doak operating somewhere down the right, dependent on Hickey's position - but we do know there will need to be a new-ish name up top of sorts.

Even still, the favourite to lead the line is 16-time capped, Oli McBurnie.

His exile from international football does mean he feels like a new addition - as does his words about his desire to perform on his long-awaited return.

"He's coming back with a point to prove, which I like," McFadden said.

"You've got someone who will give their all, which is how Oli plays anyway, and he'll feel privileged that he's got the opportunity to play again.

"It's a big opportunity, because over the last couple of years we've been so used to seeing Che Adams, Lyndon Dykes and Lawrence Shankland, so it'll be nice to see a bit of freshness up there."

That all leaves one spot up for grabs and, in this case, it's on the left of the front three. And Bournemouth's Ryan Christie is familiar with that responsibility.