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Scotland vs Croatia prediction: Scots likely to go down swinging
Follow our free football betting tips for Scotland’s Nations League clash against Croatia at Hampden Park on Friday
Scotland vs Croatia betting tips
- Croatia to win & BTTS - 10/3 Bet365
With just one win from their last 16 games, things don’t get any easier for Scotland on Friday when they face Croatia, who sit 39 places higher than them in the world rankings (7.45pm, YouTube).
It has been a torrid time for Steve Clarke’s side, who picked up just one point at last summer’s European Championships before being dumped out after the group stages.
They also have just one point from their Nations League campaign so far after a goalless draw with Portugal last time out. That result ended a run of three defeats against Poland, Portugal and Croatia.
Clarke’s side took the lead in the reverse fixture against Croatia last month through Ryan Christie but Igor Matanovic equalised for the home side before Andrej Kramaric scored the winner.
Another loss for the Scots would leave them staring at relegation from Nations League A as they enter this fixture bottom of Group 1, three points from safety and with an inferior goal difference to third-place Poland.
Croatia aren’t in the best run of form either at the moment with just two wins from their last seven games, while they also failed to make it past the group stages at the Euros.
In the Nations League, they are second in the group and still in with a chance of qualifying for the tournament’s knockout stage with a win at Hampden Park, although a return of one point from their previous two away games will hardly worry the Scots.
Scotland can also take heart from the fact Zlatko Dalic’s side have conceded five goals in their two away games and scored just one more.
Despite some unconvincing away performances, betting sites are siding with the Croats, who are 6/5 favourites, with the home side as big as 49/20 on certain betting apps.
Scotland have only failed to score in two of their last nine matches but the task will be made a bit harder on Friday without striker Che Adams, who was forced to pull out of the squad due to injury.
The 28-year-old joined Torino in the summer and has scored four goals in Serie A so far, he has been replaced in the squad by Stuart Armstrong, who hasn’t featured since the Euros.
Without Adams, Tommy Conway, Lyndon Dykes and Lawrence Shankland will fight it out for the starting centre-forward role in the side.
Lewis Morgan, recently named 2024 MLS Comeback Player of the Year after an excellent season with New York Red Bulls, has also pulled out of the squad ahead of a fixture that tends to favour the Scots with just two defeats in seven previous meetings.
They came out on top the last time the two sides met on home turf, in 2013, when goals from Robert Snodgrass and Steven Naismith earned them a 2-0 win at Hampden Park.
Any kind of win would be appreciated right now. Scotland are currently on their longest-ever winless run at home, stretching back six games, a run that features three draws and three defeats.
Combine that with a 10-game winless run in competitive matches and it’s tough to trust Scotland right now, even when they look like potentially offering a bit of value at the prices on football betting sites.
Instead, pairing an experienced Croatia side that can expose a fragile Scotland team with both teams to score is the top option for this crunch Nations League fixture.
Scotland vs Croatia prediction: Croatia to win & BTTS - 10/3 Bet365
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