GORDON STRACHAN is poised to call Celtic winger James Forrest and former Hamilton midfielder James McArthur in to his Scotland side for the Euro 2016 showdown with world champions Germany.

And Derby County striker Chris Martin could also be handed a surprise run-out against Joachim Low’s team in the Group D match in front of a sell-out crowd at Hampden tonight.

The national team suffered a serious setback in their bid to reach the European Championship finals in France next summer when they crashed to a 1-0 defeat to Georgia on Friday evening.

Several players failed to perform over in Tbilisi and Strachan has admitted he will change his starting line-up against the side which lifted the World Cup for the fourth time in Brazil last summer.

The 58-year-old declined to reveal precisely who would drop out and who would be brought in for a highly demanding outing against the likes of Toni Kroos, Mario Gotze and Manuel Meuer.

However, he spoke positively about what McArthur, the central midfielder who has been in outstanding form for Crystal Palace in the English Premier League this season, would bring to the team.

He also outlined what Martin, the Derby County striker who won the last of his five caps in the friendly defeat against England back in November and who had not been mentioned in connection with a start ahead of Steven Fletcher and Leigh Griffiths, could offer.

Asked about the choice he had to make between Fletcher and Griffiths over who to play up front, Strachan said: “Martin gives you an option as well. He can stand in there and take the ball in.

“He can’t run about like other people, but he has the strength to get the ball under control and bring people into the game. I think his goalscoring record is as good as anybody’s over the last two years. In a more competitive league as well."

He added: “McArthur has been great for Crystal Palace. If anybody is in the form team just now it’s James.”

“So it is getting a balance between the height, the strength, the patience and still have enough to go forward and cause a problem. I want height and how do we counter attack and pass. The Germans can look like men against boys because they are so good at passing and physical as well.

“So I need to get height, strength, patience and intelligence - and how do we counter attack and attack them and take players on? I love to see players taking players on. How do we put that in the team? We have the system, it’s trying to get the names and bodies in there.”

Strachan’s desire to test Germany defensively could also result in Forrest, the Celtic winger who performed brightly against Georgia after coming on in the second half, being brought in at the expense of Ikechi Anya.

Captain Scott Brown did not, by his own admission, enjoy his best game on Friday night, but his manager is almost certain to persevere with him.

“I don’t know when he (Brown) was last 100 percent fit and that’s what good players have to put up with,” said Strachan. “He just plays, he doesn’t want to miss training, he gets on with it. So can you really afford to leave that inspiration or fight other than on the pitch?

“The bravery (James) Morrison and Brown show on the ball was quite phenomenal. And McArthur. And (Darren) Fletcher. I like that about them.

“Morrison can play further forward. There is a lot we can do with these guys. At the moment I think our central midfielders are as good as Scotland have. We need to have a certain amount of height in the team to combat corner kicks and free-kicks.”

Meanwhile, Strachan has dismissed suggestions that a flight from Tbilisi which was delayed by nearly two hours had impacted adversely on the national team’s preparations for the Germany game.

Strachan and his players, already dejected after a 1-0 reverse which has significantly reduced their chances of qualifying for the European Championship finals in France next year, only made it back to their team hotel at Mar Hall outside of Bishopton after seven o’clock on Saturday morning.

However, the manager stressed the training schedule ahead of the meeting with the section leaders had not altered as a consequence of their travel difficulties and insisted they could still compete.

“We have been to places before and it has not run perfectly well for us, but we have still won the game of football or won the game after it,” he said.

“I would get angry if any of the players used it as an excuse. But they are not going to do that, they are all right.

“After defeats, I don’t think it is the physical side but the mental side, the strength to come back again,” he said. “They all get the same water, all get the same food. It is the ones with that drive inside that will make the difference in a game of football.

“I would be disappointed if anybody thought the delay was a problem. We planned for four o’clock training and analysis with the staff last night. It has not put us out of kilter at all. Again, it’s the mental strength of people, how to deal with adversity either on the pitch or off the pitch, which matters.

“We are playing against world class players. They all play in the Champions League, we are not at that level. So we have to have 10 out of 11 playing well tomorrow.

“So far we have been tested and the physical side is no problem, the mental side, having to keep going, trying to play, is hard work. Over the two years they have been tested quite a bit, going behind and coming back, so it can’t be questioned.”