ALEX McLeish last night admitted that choosing whether to make Craig Gordon or Allan McGregor his first choice goalkeeper has been the biggest dilemma he has faced as Scotland manager.

McGregor has been in exceptional form since returning to Rangers in the summer and many members of the Tartan Army would like to see him handed the No.1 jersey.

But his Celtic counterpart Gordon has performed consistently well for the national team since reclaiming his place during the Russia 2018 qualifying campaign two years ago.

McLeish revealed that one player would start in the friendly against Belgium at Hampden this evening and another would kick-off the opening National League match with Albania at the same venue on Monday.

He compared the rivalry to that between Andy Goram and Jim Leighton when he was a Scotland player - or Ray Clemence and Peter Shilton at England before that.

"It is a tough decision," he said. "It's difficult when you've got two goalies of a tremendous level. England had that problem way back in the day with Shilton and Clemence and it was one game each. There were eras where it worked out for the coach.

"I don't want to lose any of our keepers and have the ideal solution. I want these two guys to be around for as long as possible. For these two games. We have had an amicable agreement.

"We will wait to see how the games go and see what suits the style of play we have in a game. If somebody has 40 world-class saves against Belgium then he might have nailed his position.

"It's a very difficult decision. It's so difficult for me to say that, ongoing, I can definitely pick one above the other.

"But I'm in cahoots with Stevie Woods, the goalie coach. He is very fair with the two experienced goalies and Jordan Archer as well. Stevie and I had big discussions a couple of weeks ago before the squad assembled about how we play this.

"Having had the talks with Stevie Woods and the boys they know we have to make a decision and they have to get on with it. We believe the two of them have that competitive spirit where one wants to usurp the other.

"And the chat was along those lines. We are so lucky to have those two guys at that level. I’m not going to make that decision at the moment."

Asked if the player who starts against World Cup semi-finalists Belgium tonight would be his first choice keeper going forward, he said: "I don't think you can say that."

Meanwhile, McLeish has admitted the success of the Scotland women's team in qualifying for the World Cup this week can inspire his side to book a place at the Euro 2020 finals.

Their bid to reach that tournament effectively gets underway on Monday when they take on Albania as the Nations League provides countries with an opportunity to secure a play-off place.

"We are really proud of what the ladies have done this week," said McLeish. "Shelley Kerr and her staff and the girls have qualified for the World Cup and I know Shelley well. I have seen her on a few occasions at Oriam and Hampden and know how hard she works and I’m really chuffed for her.

"The ladies team have done the nation proud and it’s up to us to pick that up now. There were great scenes at the end. The boys know all about what they achieved and inside they are probably saying to themselves ‘be great if we could do that...

"I think they all want to be part of something where we can finally get to a finals. We want to get to that point ourselves."

McLeish is hoping as many Scotland fans as possible come out to cheer on his side against Albania on Monday in the first competitive fixture of his second spell in charge.

“I know the Belgium game is more attractive to the Scottish fans, but it would be great to see them filling the ground," he said.

"It will be difficult to see a full house on Monday night, but we would love to see as many as possible coming to the games. If we get a really positive result against Belgium then hopefully the floodgates will open for the fans coming on Monday.”

Meanwhile, McLeish expressed hope that appointing Andy Robertson, the Liverpool defender who was unemployed and playing for amateur club Queen's Park five years ago, captain of the national team will inspire a generation of Scottish youngsters.

“It’s a magnificent story," he said. "There were a few candidates and for me he was the outstanding one. He carries himself extremely well, he talks assertively and he knows what he’s doing on the pitch.

"He has been a good story for Scottish football and he’s an inspiration to all the young players when people tell them they’re not going to make it. Keep going. You’ve got to keep going.”