A full Hampden Park will be expecting a cracker tonight as the Tartan Army hope to channel the spirit of 1984 and a repeat of Scotland’s 3-1 win over Spain back then.
That victory helped Scotland on their way to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and a win tonight would be a massive boost to Steve Clarke’s chances of guiding the nation to another major tournament.
There’s no doubt that Clarke has Scotland heading in the right direction and he’d love to take a big scalp. He’s not had too many opportunities in his near 4-year spell in charge and arguably his best result against one of the big guns was the 0-0 draw at Wembley at Euro 2020.
Other than that his record against teams currently in the Top 20 Rankings is unspectacular. A 2-0 win over Denmark is the only win in seven, and by then the Danes had comfortably qualified. They also went toe-to-toe in a friendly with the Dutch, conceding a late goal in a 2-2 draw.
But defeat to Croatia at Hampden in Euro 2020, two losses to Belgium by an aggregate of 7-0 and a 2-0 defeat in Copenhagen suggests there’s still gap to be closed by Clarke’s squad.
But Clarke relishes the kind of challenge tonight’s game presents. His Kilmarnock side often stifled Celtic and Rangers during his tenure at Rugby Park. Is it too late too install an artificial pitch at Hampden?
Stopping Spain will be Clarke’s primary objective and if he can get to the half hour mark without conceding his side will have something to build on. That pays 5/6 at Bet365.
The Spanish don’t tend to score too many, especially away from home. You have to go back to a 4-1 win in the Faroe Islands in 2019 for the last time they scored more than two in a competitive away (not neutral) match. Scotland don’t have too many goalscorers in their ranks either, especially since they’ll be minus Che Adams. With all that in mind Under 2.5 goals appeals at 4/5.
In the same group, Norway face what could be a tricky trip to Georgia. Former Bayern Munich full-back Willy Sagnol was appointed Georgian head coach in 2021 and after a slow start appears to have turned things around. They lost just once in 2022, a 3-0 friendly defeat to Morocco, their only loss in 13.
Admittedly they’ve been playing teams of a lower standard than Norway but the stand-out result in Sagnol’s time is a 2-0 win at home to Sweden. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was the double-scorer that night and the Napoli winger has lit-up Serie A this season, averaging almost a goal every two games.
The absence of Erling Haaland further dents Norway’s chances. The Manchester City striker has scored six of Norway’s last seven competitive goals so they’ll need to find goals from somewhere else if they’re to pick up their first three points of the group.
At 13/5 Gerogia could be worth an interest and the 6/4 in the Draw No Bet market is a good option.
For a straightforward treble tonight look to Kosovo, Romania and Switzerland all to win at 11/10.
Super Singles
- Scotland v Spain – Under 2.5 Goals 4/5 Bet365
- Georgia Draw No Bet 6/4 Bet35
- Kosovo, Romania and Switzerland to win 11/10 Bet365
Upcoming Match Previews & Tips
- Tue 17:00 Georgia vs Norway
- Tue 19:45 Scotland vs Spain
- Tue 19:45 Wales vs Latvia
- Tue 19:45 Turkey vs Croatia
Racing Tips
Rizzels racing tips for Tuesday will be posted shortly.
As always, let us know your best betting tips and predictions for today in the comments section below and good luck with all your bets!
The post Tuesday’s Top Tips: Scots Out to Stifle Spaniards appeared first on MrFixitsTips.