Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour tests positive for COVID-19

Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour has tested positive for coronavirus and is set to isolate for the next 10 days. The Scottish Football Association has confirmed the news about the Chelsea midfielder who will miss his team's upcoming Euro 2020 clash in their Group D encounter against Croatia on Tuesday.

Scottish Football Association shares Billy Gilmour Covid-19 news

In accordance with the Euro 2020 Covid-19 guidelines, the Scottish Football Association is said to have taken the necessary action and followed the procedure by separating Gilmour from the main squad. They have also released a statement on the situation which reads: "The Scottish FA can confirm that a member of the Scotland National Team playing squad, Billy Gilmour, has tested positive for COVID-19. Having liaised with Public Health England since the positive test was recorded, Billy will now self-isolate for 10 days and therefore miss tomorrow’s UEFA EURO 2020 Group D match against Croatia at Hampden."

The absence of Gilmour will act as a major blow for Scotland ahead of their must-win clash against Croatia on Wednesday. Steve Clarke will have a lot to think about on bringing a player in the starting 11 to replace the Chelsea midfielder who excelled in his first start for Scotland last week. The 20-year-old was going toe to toe against the very best in the world last Friday as he took to the field against his fellow Chelsea teammates like Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell.  

Billy Gilmour was an instrumental figure for the Scottish team running the show from midfield and acting as a vital cog in helping his country play out a goalless draw against their UK rivals, England at Wembley. A draw against the Thre Lions was extremely crucial for Scotland as they continue to remain in contention for qualifying and advancing to the knock-out stages of the ongoing European Championship.

Croatia vs Scotland Prediction

Scotland will start the match as the bottom-most ranked team on the Group D table. Steve Clarke's side has struggled to play their best football managing to get claim a single point which came from their draw against England last week. Both teams will be eager to pocket three points and expect other results to go in their favour as they look to keep their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages intact. However, given the current form of both the teams, we expect Croatia to edge out a narrow win over Scotland and expect the 2018 World Cup finalists to walk away with three points on Tuesday. 

Prediction- Croatia 2-1 Scotland

Image Source: Billy Gilmour/ Instagram