BEFORE they gather for next month's unfortunately timed World Cup qualifier against Croatia, Scotland players may have to wash off the sun lotion, shake the sand out of their shoes and sweat out some holiday beers.

Being picked to play for the national team is still an honour – or it should be – but the manager Gordon Strachan knows what he is up against for this World Cup qualifier on Friday, June 7.

The game has been scheduled to take place when players would otherwise be on their holidays. With Scotland's qualification hopes already over, and a powerful Croatia side craving victory to maintain their own joint lead in Group A, the fixture looks like a hiding to nothing.

Scotland have failed to win any of their six games in the section so far, so what hope for them when they go into arguably the toughest fixture with players lacking sharpness? There was some Scottish crowing back in November, 2011, when the dates were agreed for this qualifying campaign at meeting in Brussels.

The SFA was pleased to start at home to Serbia and Macedonia, and seemingly wrote off the Croatia away game by agreeing that it could be played in the heat of June and out of the Scottish players' usual season.

Strachan has been left holding the baby on that one. An evening kick-off in Zagreb has eased worries about the temperature but, even so, the date and Scotland's readiness is a worry. After two qualifying defeats so far Strachan is reaching a point where he has to deliver signs of progress even in these deeply unpromising circumstances.

The squad he announced yesterday had some refreshing elements – Leigh Griffiths, Tony Watt, Stuart Armstrong and Ryan Jack included, Scott Brown recalled – and an experiment in the shape of Gordon Greer for the defence, but their collective sharpness is a headache.

Strachan selected nine players who played in The Championship this season. For seven of them their league season finished on May 4, fully 34 days before they might take to the field in Zagreb. Lee Wallace's Rangers season ended on May 4 as well.

Brighton's Greer and Liam Bridcutt continued to the play-off semi-finals on May 13, while for a dozen SPL and Barclays Premier League men in Strachan's squad, plus Allan McGregor at Besiktas, the curtain fell last weekend. The only players whose clubs remain active are James Forrest Brown, Watt and Griffiths – all preparing for the William Hill Scottish Cup final on Sunday – and Alan Hutton, whose Real Mallorca campaign continues until June 1.

"We will need to tailor things around that," said Strachan of the players' varying states of readiness. "Once we get them all together we'll need to find out how they are.

"I think our mentality [in British football] is still 'oh, I need six or seven weeks off'. It isn't like that anymore. The quicker we get away from that mentality, the better. European players don't think about breaks. When I speak to them, they think football is an all-round business. Their mentality is that they get well paid and that football is a year-round business. If they get just two or three weeks off, then fine.

"We are expecting, and hoping, the young lads give us an edge to our squad as well, whether or not they play. We are hoping there is going to be pride in the squad. It is going to be a hard ask for some of them, after a long season, to play away from home in June.

"But it is another test for you as a footballer: you can't pick or choose when you are going to play in top, top games. To be fair, the young players are not too bad these days in terms of keeping themselves in good nick. The likes of Jordan Rhodes, they have a good ethic about them."

Strachan consulted the Scotland under-21 coach Billy Stark and the national performance director Mark Wotte during his deliberations and their recommendations helped the candidacies of Watt, Armstrong and Jack. "Having spoken to Billy Stark and others in the under-21 set-up, these are the good players. But it is a test for them, a real test. Croatia are a top side. If you look at our squad, not many of them play regular European football at a decent level."

Dundee United's Armstrong is the Scottish Football Writers' Association young player of the year, Jack has played at right-back or as a defensive midfielder for Aberdeen, while Watt has his first call-up after six goals in 28 appearances for Celtic this season, many of them as a substitute. None of his last 14 games have yielded a goal and he has managed only once since the night of his life when he scored the winner against Barcelona six months ago. His pace and direct play appeal to Strachan, though.

"Tony Watt is just a young man who, because of the high standards Gary Hooper, Georgios Samaras and Anthony Stokes have been setting, has had difficulty getting a game for Celtic. The people around him have helped him, I know that. But, again, you determine your own future and this is a new level for him although he has played in the Champions League. It's entirely up to him what he does in his career. There are players in this squad for whom this is a stepping stone. They can either take this chance and get better and improve and enjoy this or they can rest on their laurels and think 'getting here or getting into the under-21s is good enough. It's entirely up to them. We will give them the opportunity to go further in the game."

Strachan did some informal horse-trading with the Celtic manager Neil Lennon and as a result Charlie Mulgrew will be rested.

Hull City's George Boyd is getting married on the weekend of the game and Kenny Miller has a hamstring injury but Strachan said he would expect to name him in the squad, for the August 14 friendly against England at Wembley.

THE SQUAD