COSTA RICA defender Cristian Gamboa believes Alex McLeish should look to his Celtic team-mates to bolster Scotland’s hopes.
The Hoops right-back played in his nation’s 1-0 win over the Scots at Hampden on Friday night.
New boss McLeish started the friendly encounter without a player from the champions – the first time the international line-up has kicked off without a Parkhead star in the last eight games.
Callum McGregor and Stuart Armstrong were introduced as substitutes before the hour mark as McLeish tried to revive the team as they lost on his second homecoming as the nation’s manager.
Gamboa said: “It was good for them, Callum and Stuart, when they came on in the second-half and you could see a difference in the team.
“When they arrived you saw different movement around the pitch when Scotland had the ball. I think they are different players with different qualities.
“Callum is a fantastic player who is doing really good things for Celtic and scoring really important goals for us.
“I see the quality of Callum and the Celtic players on the training pitch every day.
“They are used to playing under big pressure and you can see the difference they make when they come on the pitch.”
Both McGregor and Armstrong are likely to start in the second friendly against Hungary in Budapest on Tuesday night.
James Forrest and Jack Hendry, who were left on the substitutes’ bench during the loss to Costa Rica, are also in contention as McLeish revamps his line-up.
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