Scotland lose Welsh and call up Porteous

Welsh withdrawn due to precaution after knee scare; Porteous recalled for Nations League matches against North Macedonia and Switzerland.

Swansea City centre-back Stephen Welsh has been withdrawn from Scotland's Nations League squad for matches against North Macedonia (Friday) and Switzerland (Monday, 16 November) as a precautionary measure. Welsh suffered a challenge from Ebou Adams during Swansea's 3-1 defeat at Portsmouth on Tuesday, raising initial concerns about serious knee ligament damage. However, a scan revealed no significant injury, and Swansea hoped he could feature in their Championship match at Birmingham City on Saturday. The Scottish FA opted for caution ahead of the international fixtures.

Welsh is replaced by Los Angeles defender Ryan Porteous, 27, who last represented Scotland under Steve Clarke in March 2025, earning his 13th cap as a late substitute in a 1-0 Nations League play-off win in Greece. Porteous, a former Hibernian player, joined LA from Watford last August and has made 35 appearances this season for the MLS side, which sits sixth in the Western Conference. Scotland need at least four points from their final two group games to have a chance of securing promotion play-off qualification.