A week before Scotlands most winnable-looking match of the World Cup group stage, striker Lawrence Shankland says a win over Bolivia would put his side in a good spot for the first game of their finals against Haiti.Its another step towards the tournament starting, Shankland told Scotlands official channel, having scored twice inside six minutes in the 4-1 win over Curacao in Glasgow last Saturday.Its one more to enjoy. When we met last week, it was just the start of the build-up. We know how important it is to prepare properly and make sure were in a good place.We know how important the first game in the group is going to be for us. First and foremost, we need to take care of this friendly.Bolivia beat Brazil 1-0 at home to finish seventh in South American qualifying and advance to two one-off inter-confederation play-offs, beating Suriname 2-1 before losing to Iraq by the same scoreline in a decider.Oscar Villegas, who has been in charge since 2024, is expected to use the friendly to give inexperienced players opportunities for a nation who have never won at the World Cup across three appearances, last featuring in 1994.We believe that those called up have the opportunity to gain playing time especially some of the younger players, and thats important for us, said Villegas, via Diez.At 77th in FIFAs rankings, Bolivia are four places above Haiti but significantly lower than Scotlands subsequent opponents during the group stage, Morocco and Brazil.Table of ContentsBolivia v Scotland team newsBolivia v Scotland predicted line-upsWhere to watch Bolivia v Scotland: TV channel, live online streamBolivia v Scotland statsBolivia v Scotland predictionBolivia v Scotland team newsTyler Fletcher has been called up to replace Billy Gilmour after the midfielder suffered a knee injury during the win over Curacao.The 19-year-old Manchester United prospect had been training with the squad and made his debut as a half-time substitute at Hampden Park.Craig Gordon returned from a shoulder injury in May and the 43-year-old played the first half of the game.Middlesbrough forward Tommy Conway will miss the World Cup with an ankle problem but Southampton striker Ross Stewart could feature for Scotland for the first time since 2022, having suffered a string of serious injuries between his last international appearance and January this year.Right-back Diego Medina is injured for Bolivia and could be replaced by Yomar Rocha or Lucas Macazaga. Midfielder Moises Villarroel is also sidelined.Left-back Dieguito Rodriguez and attacking midfielder Jesus Maraude did not complete their visa paperwork and Hector Cuellar is absent because the midfielder has been completing a move to Bulgarian club CSKA 1948.Bolivia v Scotland predicted line-upsBolivia starting XI: Guillermo Viscarra, Lucas Macazaga, Efrain Morales, Luis Haquin, Roberto Carlos Fernandez, Ervin Vaca, Ramiro Vaca, Robson Matheus, Miguel Terceros, Moises Paniagua, Daniel RiberaScotland starting XI: Liam Kelly, Nathan Patterson, Anthony Ralston, Dominic Hyam, Grant Hanley, Findlay Curtis, Tyler Fletcher, Lewis Ferguson, John McGinn, Lyndon Dykes, Che AdamsWhere to watch Bolivia v Scotland: TV channel, live online streamKick-off on Saturday is at 21:00 BST (16:00 ET / 13:00 PT). Live coverage in the UK is on BBC Two and BBC Scotland.Fans can stream the action via BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.Bolivia v Scotland statsThis will be the first-ever meeting between the countries and Bolivias first against a Home NationBolivia have won one of their last 21 matches against European opposition (D4 L16), beating Andorra 1-0 at home in March 2024They conceded the most goals of any nation in the CONMEBOL qualification group phase (35)Before a 3-0 home win over Jamaica in their most recent friendly in March, Bolivia had gone 12 non-competitive matches without scoring more than once in a game (W1 D2 L9)Scotland have won two of their last four friendly matches (L2), having won two of their previous 16 (D4 L10)They are winless in six matches against South American opposition (D1 L5) since a 2-1 win against Ecuador in Japan in May 1995Head coach Steve Clarke saw his side score more than three goals in four of his first 73 matches in charge but Scotland have now netted four in two of their last four games, although they did not register in the other twoThe Tartan Army had scored more than three goals in one of their previous 36 matches across all competitions before this runShould Bolivia score, Scotland will be without a clean sheet in eight consecutive matches for the first time since a sequence between October 2002 and June 2003In their last friendly before their previous World Cup appearance in 1998, Scotland drew 0-0 with the USA in Washington before losing their tournament opener 2-1 to Brazil in Saint-DenisBolivia v Scotland predictionBolivia 0-1 ScotlandAvoiding injuries had been a priority for Clarke before Scotland lost Gilmour, which means that focus is likely to be intensified alongside targeting a long-awaited clean sheet against opponents who tend to be low-scoring. Topics 2026 FIFA World Cup Andrew Robertson Andy Robertson Bolivia National Football Team FIFA World Cup John McGinn Scotland National Football Team Steve Clarke World Cup World Cup 2026 Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Brazil v Egypt: International friendly line-ups, stats and preview, TV channel, live online stream and prediction for 2026 FIFA World Cup warm-up match Ben Miller 5th June, 2026 Argentina v Honduras: International friendly line-ups, stats and preview, TV channel, live online stream and prediction for 2026 FIFA World Cup warm-up match Ben Miller 5th June, 2026 Embolo to link up with Switzerland World Cup squad after visa issue resolved Nicholas McGee 5th June, 2026 Lego World Cup trophy: Ronaldo, Messi, Mbappe and Vinicius Jr and the story behind their 2026 ad Ben Miller 3rd June, 2026 Ronaldo, Messi, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr: Behind the scenes on Lego World Cup trophy ad 2026 Ben Miller 3rd June, 2026 2026 World Cup on TV: Which England and Scotland games are on BBC and ITV including live streams, kick off times Blake Hurst 3rd June, 2026
