3 minute read

Scotland will be looking to take a major step towards Nations League promotion when they host the Republic of Ireland at Hampden Park.

Steve Clarke’s men are currently top of their group in division B and are just two games away from joining Europe’s elite in the top tier.

The Scots have won three of their last four games, including Wednesday’s 3-0 thrashing of Ukraine.

In recent times, Scotland’s games have rarely under delivered on drama. Ireland, on the other hand, have often failed to impress under Stephen Kenny. 

After kicking off their Nations League campaign with back-to-back defeats against Armenia and Ukraine, the Irish were finally able to turn their fortunes around and even picked up a 3-0 win over the Scots in Dublin.

As things stand, Ireland find themselves one point above fourth-placed Armenia, meaning safety from relegation is far from secured. What’s more, they will be taking on a Scotland side with a fierce home record.

Clarke’s men have lost just two of their last 16 games on home soil, with Ukraine and the Czech Republic being the only nations since 2019 to enjoy success at Hampden.

While their home form is strong, the same cannot be said about Scotland’s record against the Republic of Ireland.

From their last 10 head-to-head meetings, Scotland have picked up just two victories. The most recent one came in 2014 during a European Championship qualifying fixture.

Interestingly, four of the last five encounters between the two teams have produced under 2.5 goals, with Ireland’s 3-0 win being a rare high-scoring clash. In fact, eight of the last 10 meetings have produced two or fewer goals.

A lack of goals is a narrative which has haunted Kenny’s men throughout Ireland’s recent Nations League exploits. Ten of their last 13 games in the competition have seen one or no goals scored.

Considering there is a lot at stake this weekend, expect both teams to tackle this encounter with a pinch of caution. With that in mind, another low scoring encounter could be on the cards.

Nevertheless, Scotland are the team to back. Clarke’s men are not only hard to beat on home soil, but they also arrive with plenty of momentum.

Our recommendation is to back the hosts to win 1-0 in the correct score market.

Though if you don’t fancy that, you could always try the under 2.5 goals bet or the one-goal winning margin.

Key stats

-     Scotland have won just two of their last 10 against Ireland

-     Eight of the last 10 H2H’s have produced under 2.5 goals

-     Scotland have lost just two of their last 16 at home

-     Ten of Ireland’s last 13 Nations League games produced one or no goals

-     Ireland have won just one of their last 14 games in the Nations League

Suggested bets

-     F/T result – Scotland win

-     Correct score – 1-0 Scotland

-     Under 2.5 goals

-     One goal winning margin