Scotland women's national football team will be without midfielders Kirsty Maclean and Chelsea Cornet for their opening World Cup qualifying fixtures against Luxembourg, dealing an early setback to head coach Melissa Andreatta’s preparations.
Scotland face the 108th-ranked Luxembourg in a double-header, first in Esch-sur-Alzette on 3 March before hosting the return leg at Hampden Park four days later. The matches mark the beginning of their European qualification campaign.
Maclean, 20, who has earned 14 caps and has established herself as a regular presence in the squad, had been expected to feature prominently. The Liverpool Women midfielder missed her club’s FA Cup victory over Everton Women at the weekend. Meanwhile, 27-year-old Cornet — who plays for Birmingham City Women and has three senior international appearances — was an unused substitute in her side’s emphatic win over Chatham Town Women.
In response, Andreatta has called up Leah Eddie, the Rangers Women defender with four caps, and Amy Rodgers, a 25-year-old midfielder from Nottingham Forest Women who has represented Scotland 12 times.
Despite the absences, Scotland will be strong favourites to begin their qualification campaign with two victories, given the 80-place gap in the FIFA rankings between the two sides. The fixtures will mark the first-ever meetings between Scotland and Luxembourg, with Belgium and Israel also comprising European qualification Group H.
