3 minute read
Scotland return to Hampden Park on Tuesday to face Georgia with a 100% Euro 2024 qualifying record.
Key stats
Scotland have won their first three Euro 2024 qualifiers.
The last three games between Scotland and Georgia have each had under 2.5 goals.
Scotland have won two and lost two of their previous four qualifiers versus Georgia.
Georgia have won one and drawn one of their two Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Georgia have lost just once in 15 games in all competitions.
Scotland have scored at least twice in their last five home games.
Verdict
Scotland have put themselves in pole position to qualify for Euro 2024 after three victories from three in Group A.
Their latest win was a come-from-behind victory in Norway which showed the resilience and desire in the Scottish camp. While their eye-catching win over Spain showed their speed on the counter, Scotland had to dig deep in Oslo and show their mental toughness.
They did that brilliantly to earn a 2-1 win and another victory over Georgia back at Hampden will give them real hope of qualifying for Germany.
While the Scots were winning late on, Willy Sagnol's Georgia also left it late to get the better of Cyprus 2-1.
They are Scotland’s closest challengers in Group A at the moment and will be no pushovers in Glasgow. In fact, one defeat - a 3-0 friendly loss to Morocco - in 15 games means the 13/2 quotes about Georgia are somewhat disrespectful.
Sagnol's men have beaten Cyprus and drawn 1-1 with Norway. A closer look at that draw with the Norwegians in March suggests Tuesday’s tussle with the Scots will be a close-run affair.
Norway dominated possession against Scotland and Georgia and recorded more shots on goal. However, the Norwegians, who had 17 shots to 15 against Georgia, made mistakes against Steve Clarke’s men. Against Georgia, Norway were more solid, but both of those matches suggest Hampden Park will see a tight game.
Georgia have some good emerging talent and Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is their star man. They do also have a very capable goalkeeper in Valencia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili and they will be hard to beat. In fact, they may just set their stall out for a draw and fancy their chances in the return leg in Tbilisi.
Scotland have kept four clean sheets in their last seven games, while the Scots have also been scoring, with 11 goals in their last five games.
Georgia have also been hitting the goal trail, scoring in eight of their last 10 games, but they have not been able to keep a clean sheet since September 2022.
With that in mind, we can expect Scotland to score, but a fourth consecutive win might just prove too much after the exertions on Saturday and a draw looks likely.
Suggested bets
Scotland to draw with Georgia
Scotland vs Georgia BTTS, yes