* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
Scotland’s World Cup qualifying campaign hangs very much in the balance after picking up just five points from their opening five games. Steve Clarke’s side can ill-afford anything but a win against minnows Moldova on Saturday if they are to have any hope of securing a play-off place.
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The Scots were predictably well beaten in Copenhagen on Wednesday night by a very capable Danish outfit, so there shouldn’t be too much soul-searching ahead of Saturday’s crunch game.
Clarke’s side were without a whole host of household names for that difficult night in Denmark against the Euro 2020 semi-finalists but do welcome back John McGinn, Nathan Patterson, Stephen O’Donnell, and Kevin Nisbet for the clash with Moldova on Saturday.
Value Bet: Scotland (-2)
Their opponents have collected just one point from their opening four games – a 1-1 draw with the Faroe Islands – and were humiliated 8-0 by Denmark in March. They were also beaten by comfortably by both of Scotland’s play-off rivals on their own patch, with Israel easing to a 4-1 win in March and Austria sealing a 2-0 win on Wednesday.
Scotland put four past the Faroe Islands in March and will hope to the same against a similar level of opposition on Saturday. I think we’re going to see Scotland beat the (-2) handicap.
Saturday 7.45pm: Scotland v Moldova
Sky Sports Football
Safe Bet: Scotland to win to nil
Scotland’s defensive performances have improved greatly since Clarke’s appointment in May 2019 and the former West Brom boss can take a lot of credit for turning his country into a difficult side to break down. Scotland kept three clean sheets in six games in a difficult Nations League group last autumn and held England to a scoreless draw during the Euros in a game that they never really looked like conceding in.
They also did reasonably well to limit a free-scoring Danish team to just two goals after conceding twice in the opening 15 minutes on Wednesday night and can expect a much easier task against a limited Moldova attack. Moldova’s miserable goal scoring record on the road will make for happy reading for Scottish fans. The Moldavans have failed to score in their last five away games in a run of results stretching back to November 2019.
What’s more, that goal, which remarkably came against world champions France, proved to be an outlier, with Moldova scoring just one goal in their last 12 away games over the past three years. They have fared little better at home, scoring three times in their last six outings on home soil. The home side should have little problems keeping them at bay on Saturday night as we see Scotland Win to Nil.
Long Shot: Che Adams to score two or more goals
It has been a rather lukewarm start to Che Adams’s international career since he declared his allegiance in March. The Southampton striker has scored twice for Scotland since then, bagging the third of four goals in the comfortable win over the Faroe Islands and getting the solitary goal of a forgettable friendly against Luxembourg.
Forgettable is a word that aptly describes Adams’s international career to date. He failed to make any impact of note at the Euros and was a bystander for large parts of Wednesday’s defeat to Denmark before he was hauled off with 20 minutes to go. He could do with a morale-boosting goal or two against Moldova on Saturday to bolster both his club and international career.
Adams is yet to score for Southampton in three appearances this season and will need to start finding the back of the net soon as his side prepare for an almost inevitable relegation battle. He has an excellent chance to score his first goals in three months on Saturday and he should seize it with both hands. Your long shot is Che Adams to Score 2 or More Goals.
Scotland v Moldova tips
Value Bet: Scotland (-2)
Safe Bet: Scotland to win to nil
Long Shot: Che Adams to score two or more goals
* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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