Scotland play their second do-or-die game in the space of a week. After an abject performance in the 2-1 defeat to Russia on Friday, Steve Clarke is looking to make changes, according to The Sun. The story circulating is that it will be the midfield and attack where he makes the most changes.

With Scotland facing the FIFA number one ranked team, Belgium, it doesn't come much harder. Their respective starts to the qualifying campaign couldn't be more different with Belgium sitting on top of the group with maximum points and Scotland nine points behind in fourth on just six points from the opening five games.

A key area in which Clarke will freshen up will be midfield. So who are the men Clarke is looking to bring in?

Clarke is rumoured to be making four changes to his offensive players with Ryan Christie, Kenny McLean, Robert Snodgrass and Matt Phillips all set to start. The players likely to drop out, according to The Sun, will be James Forrest, Callum McGregor, John McGinn and Oli McBurnie.

In such an important game, it would be a bold move for Clarke to drop, arguably, three of his best players. Forrest, McGregor and McGinn are regular starters for Scotland when fit. Bringing in Christie to play with his Celtic team-mates makes perfect sense given their start to the season and his own prolific form. Christie has eight goals and five assists in thirteen appearances, numbers that dictate a starting place for a Scotland team that is struggling.

Playing McGregor in a deeper role with John McGinn in a double pivot would give the Scotland defence greater and much needed protection. McGinn and McGregor are key players with their clubs, Kenny McLean has just 111 minutes of league action this season.

There is also a sound argument for replacing Ryan Fraser with Robert Snodgrass. Not only is this Scotland team bereft of experience, which Snodgrass has, but it is also short of goals. Fraser has yet to show he is capable of reproducing his Bournemouth form for Scotland with just one goal in ten games. Snodgrass with seven goals in twenty-six games would also give a better balance as a natural left-sided player.

Playing the lone striker role for Scotland has never been an easy task and McBurnie was slated in some quarters for his part in Scotland's defeat against Russia, especially by BBC pundit Michael Stewart. He is inexperienced at international level but his club form, with a goal almost every two games over the last two seasons demonstrates he is worth persevering with. On this occasion though the more physical Matt Phillips could be the man to turn to. McBurnie, despite his height, is a finesse player and needs support around him. Phillips will run channels, bully defenders and look to win cheap possession high up the park. Possession may be hard to come by against such a good team.

It remains to be seen how true the rumours are about Clarke's team selection in such an important fixture. By dropping key players he may be seen as giving up on the group qualification. With the likely opponents of Scotland's Nations League play-off being against Bulgaria, he may see that as the real "do-or-die" fixture. Clarke should play his strongest team and bring in Christie and Snodgrass to add much needed firepower to the Scotland attack.