Scotland Recall Kerr & Thomas for Czech Republic Play-off — SkimNews
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- Sam Kerr earned her first Scotland call-up in almost a year, with the midfielder's last of 34 caps coming off the bench against the Netherlands in February 2025, and was named in the squad after starting the season at right-back for Liverpool.
- Melissa Andreatta called Kerr's positional flexibility a "super strength" while refusing to disclose whether the 27-year-old will start in midfield or at right-back, saying she is "keeping my cards close to my chest."
- Martha Thomas returns for her first cap since October, when she earned her 50th, and joins Newcastle teammate Freya Gregory and Como defender Sophie Howard—neither of whom featured in the previous double-header against Israel—as recalls.
- Scotland face the Czech Republic in Pardubice on Friday, 9 October before hosting the second leg at St Mirren Park four days later, with the winner advancing to face either Sweden or Lithuania for a place at next summer's World Cup in Brazil.
- Celtic midfielder Maria McAneny is also back after last featuring in a seven-goal win over Luxembourg in March, while defenders Leah Eddie and Kenzie Weir and strikers Eilidh Adams and Laura Berry drop out, and Aston Villa's Mia McAulay retains her place.
- Andreatta's unbeaten side topped their qualifying group on goal difference—one better than second-placed Belgium—and are four games from a first major tournament since the 2019 World Cup after missing the past two European Championships and the 2023 World Cup.
- Andreatta explicitly tied the selections to building "squad depth," saying "you need more than a 12-13 player roster to get deep into a tournament" and described her approach as that of a "glass-half-full optimist."
Why it matters: Scotland are four matches from their first major tournament since the 2019 World Cup, and Andreatta recalled 34-cap Kerr and 50-cap Thomas after long layoffs to lead the Czech Republic play-off. The coach explicitly tied the picks to building "squad depth" for tournament football, signaling depth over starter quality.
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