Croatia v Scotland betting tips: Last chance for Hampden rivals
Preview and odds for the Group D match
Scotland claimed a moral victory at Wembley but the odds are still against them in their bid to qualify for the last 16 of Euro 2020.
The goalless draw with England kept their hopes alive but they are the outsiders to reach the knockout stage as they return to Hampden Park in the final round of group matches, especially with midfielder Billy Gilmour ruled out after testing positive for Covid-19.
Tuesday’s match is live on ITV4 and kicks off at 8pm as we highlight a few potential Croatia v Scotland betting tips.
Croatia v Scotland match odds
Both teams go into their final game knowing only a win will be enough to reach the last 16 after picking up just a point apiece so far.
Croatia lost 1-0 to England in their opener and then fell behind to a controversial penalty against the Czech Republic but Inter Milan star Ivan Perisic grabbed a vital equaliser just after half-time for the 2018 World Cup runners-up.
Croatia have a good record of upping their game at major tournaments but there is a real danger of an early elimination here, having rarely threatened to reach the performance levels of three years ago.
Boss Zlatko Dalic said: “We are going to try and win the last game and move on. First of all we need to win on Tuesday. Four points is going to be sufficient to move on.
“We cannot talk about goal difference just now, the most important thing is to win. It can be complicated for the second position but for the third one, victory will be sufficient.”
Croatia are 6/5 to get the win they need while Scotland are 9/4 to build on their Wembley performance with a victory in Glasgow.
They were well worthy of their point against England and arguably created the better of the chances at Wembley but the worry is that they have failed to find the net so far.
Scotland’s three centre-forwards – Lyndon Dykes, Che Adams and Kevin Nisbet – are all relative newcomers to international football with the latter two making their debuts in March and the QPR man earlier in the season.
When asked where the goals are, assistant manager Steven Reid said: “Where are they? Hopefully coming. Hopefully coming on Tuesday.
“Maybe it’s just that rub of the green at the moment. We are getting into some great areas, creating a lot of chances.
“We have just got to keep working, keep getting into those positions, and at some point hopefully we will get that goal or two that will hopefully see us into the next phase of the tournament.”
In a win-or-bust game for both teams, 8/11 is on offer for goals at both ends while over 2.5 goals is 19/20.
Croatia v Scotland head-to-head
Scotland can take encouragement from the fact they have met Croatia five times before and never been beaten, although the first three were all drawn.
Scotland have won the two most recent meetings, though, which were both in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
A 1-0 away win in June 2013 was achieved thanks to a Robert Snodgrass goal in the first half while Snodgrass opened the scoring again four months later before Steven Naismith sealed a 2-0 win at Hampden.
Scotland could not take advantage of those results and only managed five more points as they missed out on a trip to Brazil while Croatia qualified.
Previous XI
Croatia: Livakovic, Vrsaljko, Lovren, Vida, Gvardiol, Perisic, Kovacic, Modric, Brekalo, Kramaric, Rebic.
Scotland: Marshall, O’Donnell, Robertson, Hanley, Tierney, McTominay, McGinn, McGregor, Gilmour, Dykes, Adams.
Key battles
Croatia’s defence has plenty of experience so the challenge is for Scotland’s youthful attack to find a way to break them down, with Adams and Dykes both going close against England.
Adams is 11/2 to open the scoring or 4/1 to find the net in a Scotland win.
The decisive battle could be in midfield where Chelsea youngster Gilmour impressed at Wembley but his unfortunate absence means there will be more pressure on John McGinn as he comes up against Croatia playmaker Luka Modric.
View the latest Euro 2020 odds
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
