Scotland v Czech Republic betting tips: Odds suggest close encounter at Hampden
Published:
Preview and odds for Monday’s match
Scotland make their long-awaited return to a major tournament and have home advantage when they face the Czech Republic at Hampden Park.
The Tartan Army have had a 23-year wait to see their team at a major finals but will be hopeful of a winning return in a match which both teams will be hoping to get a positive result from ahead of meetings with England and Croatia.
Monday’s match is live on BBC One and kicks off at 2pm as we highlight a few potential Scotland v Czech Republic betting tips.
Scotland v Czech Republic match odds
The odds for this Group D clash suggest a close game, with Scotland the slight underdogs at 15/8 despite the match being held in Glasgow.
Scotland made hard work of qualifying, finishing third in their group behind Belgium and Russia and then needing penalties to get past Israel and Serbia in the play-offs.
Recent results have been reasonably encouraging. Five points from their first three World Cup qualifiers is a solid start and they went close to beating Netherlands in a friendly earlier this month before a late leveller meant they had to settle for a 2-2 draw.
Steve Clarke’s men signed off for Euro 2020 with a 1-0 win against Luxembourg in their final warm-up game and that has been a familiar scoreline in the last 12 months, with three of their last four wins achieved thanks to a single goal.
Another 1-0 victory can be backed at 11/2 while 29/20 is on offer for the match to feature no more than one goal.
The Czech Republic are just four places above Scotland in the world rankings so a draw may appeal at 19/10, with the Czechs 33/20 for the win.
Scotland v Czech Republic head-to-head
These teams should know plenty about each other after meeting in the Nations League last year when Scotland won both games.
They came from behind to win 2-1 in the away game thanks to a Lyndon Dykes equaliser and a Ryan Christie penalty while Ryan Fraser’s sixth-minute goal proved enough to win the return game.
Those results will give Scotland confidence but it should be noted the Czech Republic won the group, winning their other four games while Scotland only picked up another four points.
Previous XI
Czech Republic: Vaclik, Celustka, Coufal, Kalas, Boril, Kral, Darida, Masopust, Jankto, Soucek, Schick.
Key battles
Both teams have a goal threat in midfield and either have the potential to be the match-winner here.
John McGinn was Scotland’s top scorer in qualifying and most of their best play comes through him, with the Aston Villa man 4/1 to be on target and 15/2 to score first.
The lack of a world-class striker could be their downfall but they are not short of quality at left-back, with Clarke altering his formation to get both Andrew Robertson and Kieran Tierney in the team.
Tomas Soucek is the man to watch out for in the Czech Republic’s midfield after an impressive season for West Ham and he is 11/1 to score the last goal of the game.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
