Last updated & checked: 10/08/2021
It might not be making that many headlines outside of the homeland but Russia’s transformation into a Euro 2020 threat is one of the most interesting stories in international football right now. Their transformation was seen at the World Cup, where they took Spain out of the competition and almost did the same to eventual finalists Croatia. This success continued elsewhere in the UEFA Nations League, and finally into these qualifiers.
Things didn’t start off perfectly, with a 3-1 loss to the mighty Belgium. But they came roaring back with impressive victories to see them head into this match as marginal favourites. Scotland haven’t been quite as impressive, losing to Kazakhstan 3-0 – a team that lost 4-0 to Russia – and looking less impressive than their upcoming opponents against San Marino. Were we to base this off recent results alone, Scotland’s odds would be much lower than they are.
Scotland vs Russia Prediction: Scotland 2-0 Russia
This is an interesting one to predict because, ultimately, this asks the question of how much you should take a team’s all time reputation into account. Because right now, that is what Scotland’s still rather generous odds are hinging on. If we go by the qualifiers, Russia are head and above their opponents right now. They also have that World Cup showing – a tournament that Scotland failed to qualify for – to boost their confidence. We think that it’s right now that matters, and right now Russia look the better team. With that in mind, our scoreline prediction is 2-0 to Russia.
Our recommended tip: Russia win to nil
It may seem strange to predict a team to win to nil when their winning odds are near neck-and-neck with their opponents. However, there’s two reasons we have for this recommended tip. One is we think that bookmakers are a bit unbalanced on this occasion, and also that when Russia start to dominate, they really dominate. Three of their games have seen them win with a clean sheet and two were extremely one-sided in their favour. Our recommended tip of Russia to win to nil is available at BetVictor at 31/10 odds.
Previous matches
If you are looking for some extra wisdom regarding the likely results of this match, we are afraid you’re out of luck. Their entire head-to-head history consists of two UEFA European Championship matches which each ended in a draw. One game in 1994 went 1-1 and their rematch the following year ended in a goalless stalemate. While this might not be very handy for analysts, it does mean that we have a very fresh, interesting matchup which showcases just how this tournament and its qualifiers can bring teams together.
Top 3 Euro Qualifiers Bookies
Players to watch: James Forrest & Denis Cheryshev
Scotland: James Forrest
One player that is truly noteable by his absence on the goal sheet so far in the Euro Qualifiers is James Forrest. He’s the man who scored a hat-trick against Israel in the last game of the UEFA Nations League. While he hasn’t been completely absent in the qualifiers, it must be said that nothing he has produced thus far has matched that previous form. Against a challenger like Russia, such a performance could really make the difference between victory and defeat.
Russia: Denis Cheryshev
This is one player who could make the difference early on and really set the pace for the rest of the game. Not only did Denis Cheryshev score a brace in Russia’s last away game against Kazakhstan, but he was also the first goalscorer on each of the last four occasions he hit the back of the net. So, look out for Cheryshev to strike early.
