Scotland 2020 UEFA Euro Betting
It’s hard to know what to make of Scotland coming into EURO 2020. In their last 11 international matches, Scotland has faced Israel four times, the Czech Republic twice, and Slovakia twice. They are 4-5-2 in those games. The only top tier opponent they will face before the start of the Euros is the Netherlands in early June.
As with some of the other teams in this summer’s European Championships, one of the teams they will face in the Group Stage is a recent foe. Scotland knocked off the Czech Republic 2-1 on the road and 1-0 at home in Nations League play in the second half of 2020. The Scots are hoping that means they can at least top the Czechs one more time in a tough group with England and Croatia. Scotland will have the benefit of playing two games at Hampden Park in Glasgow.
Scotland Squad Profile
UEFA Euro Odds: +20000
Coach: Steve Clarke
FIFA Ranking: 44
Best Finish: Group Stage (1992, 1996)
Group: D ( Croatia, Czech Republic and England )
How They Got Here
Making it to this summer’s Euros wasn’t an easy task for Scotland. Scotland was boom or bust in Group I and clearly the third best team in the group when it was all said and done. They had five wins and five losses in their 10 games, losing by a combined margin of 7-0 in their two games against Belgium and a combined margin of 6-1 in their two games against Russia. Fortunately, Scotland won five of their six other games against minnows Cyprus, Kazakhstan, and San Marino.
That led to Scotland being inserted into Path C for the four play-in places. They advanced past Israel on penalties after a scoreless 120 minutes, setting up a showdown with Serbia for a spot in EURO 2020. Scotland appeared set to advance after a 52nd minute goal from Ryan Christie, but Luka Jovic knotted the match at one-all in the 90th minute to send the game to additional time. That proved to be indecisive, so the matter was decided on penalties with Scotland converting all five of their spot kicks once again.
Team Preview
There won’t be a lot of scoring or goal scoring opportunities for Scotland. This team doesn’t have a lot of talent on the attack, and Scotland’s leading active scorer is John McGinn with 10 goals. McGinn is the pivot point in the attack and has performed well on Aston Villa this season.
Scott McTominay is the other player to watch in the midfield. McTominay is known more for his defensive presence though, and he is yet to find the back of the net for the national team.
The lack of real weapons on the attack has led to manager Steve Clarke trying a lot of different options up top. Ryan Fraser is probably the most proven forward, but he has only bagged four goals in 16 caps for Scotland. Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes have been used up top in recent World Cup qualifiers, but there isn’t much to get excited over.
This back line is solid and the strength of the team. Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson captains Scotland, and there are other talented players in the back. Kieran Tierney can fly up the wing and make things happen on the counter, and Grant Hanley is a quality center back.
Scotland Schedule
GROUP STAGE
Monday June 14
Scotland vs. Czech Republic (Glasgow; 9 a.m. ET, 3 p.m.)
Friday June 18
England vs. Scotland (London; 3 p.m. ET, 9 p.m.)
Tuesday June 22
Croatia vs. Scotland (Glasgow; 3 p.m. ET, 9 p.m.)
Scotland’s History at the European Championships
Scotland has yet to win more than a single game at any major international tournament, and the country has yet to advance to the knockout rounds of either the World Cup or the European Championships.
The Scots have qualified for eight World Cups, but they have won just four of their 23 matches on that stage. This will be their third trip to the Euros, and their first appearance in this competition since 1996. In that iteration, Scotland had its best result yet with a 1-1-1 record in the Group Stage.
In the 1996 Euros, Scotland drew the Netherlands and defeated Switzerland, but the Scots failed to make it out after losing the tiebreaker with the Dutch. Both countries had an -1 goal differential, but the Netherlands advanced because they scored more goals in the Group Stage.
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