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Scotland v Georgia
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Competition: Euro 2024 Qualifiers
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Watch Live: Viaplay Sports 1
Scotland host Georgia at Hampden on Tuesday aiming to maintain what has been a remarkable start to their Euro 2024 Group A campaign.
Having played two of their three toughest matches on paper, Steve Clarke’s side have a maximum nine points, with Saturday’s 2-1 win over Norway epitomising the spirit in the squad. Far from their best for long periods, the Scots stole the win thanks to two goals in three minutes at the end of the match.
Indeed, the landscape of the group has shifted such that Georgia might actually prove to be Scotland’s biggest rivals next to top seeds Spain. The visitors to Glasgow have only played two matches but have picked up four points and would come firmly into the picture if they were to cause an upset.
No one in the home camp will be treating this match lightly. The Scotland v Georgia stats in the past show two wins each from four fixtures, with the Scots’ wins coming by a single goal on each occasion. Indeed, it was a defeat in Georgia that cost Scotland in their famous Euro 2008 campaign, when they beat France twice and yet still missed out on qualification for that tournament.
With the hosts buoyant but no doubt wary, here are the best Scotland v Georgia bet builder tips for Tuesday’s big game.
Scotland in a dream position
After sneaking to Euro 2020 via the backdoor of the Nations League playoffs, Scotland find themselves in dream position to reach Germany and will be within touching distance of the finals if they can win this encounter.
Clarke’s side were opportunistic at the weekend as they pounced on a Norway defensive error to grab an equaliser in Oslo that left the hosts rocking and set the stage for Kenny McLean’s tidy winner a matter of seconds later.
In their home matches against Cyprus and Spain, they have been altogether more convincing and have set a standard they will seek to replicate against Georgia.
The players are feeling good and they are looking forward to another full house here, they are looking forward to putting on another good performance and hopefully we get the right result and that feel-good factor continues.”
Scotland boss Steve Clarke is hoping to keep Scotland’s momentum going heading into this final Euro 2024 qualifier of the 2022-23 season.
Scott McTominay has been an unlikely scoring hero in these games, scoring four goals, and given the way Georgia defended set pieces against Cyprus at the weekend, the Manchester United man is good value as a long shot anytime scorer on a Scotland bet builder.
Indeed, since the deflating loss to Ukraine last June cost the Scots a shot at a place in the World Cup finals, Clarke’s side have won all five home matches. These victories have been convincing. All but one has come by more than a single goal – worth considering when making any Scotland v Georgia prediction.
The squad is clearly filled with confidence and surely cannot wait for kick off.
Scotland team news
Clarke does not like to change his team, but for a Scotland bet builder, consider the effects of Saturday’s physically and mentally draining game. Tweaks may be made, particularly in midfield, where Billy Gilmour and Kenny McLean impressed after coming on.
Angus Gunn seems certain to retain his spot in goal, after he maintained his 100% win record between the sticks for Scotland last time out.
No update has been given on Kieran Tierney, who went off with an issue in Oslo and could be replaced by Liam Cooper if he is not fit.
Che Adams is the other big miss for Scotland. Lyndon Dykes worked hard in Norway and will surely need some kind of respite, so Lawrence Shankland or Kevin Nisbet are liable to get some minutes.
Underestimate Georgia at your peril
Georgia will be feeling quietly confident travelling to Glasgow after a positive start to their qualifying campaign.
Like Scotland, they left it late to win against Cyprus on Saturday, with substitute Zuriko Davitashvili coming off the bench to score a lovely winner. Sagnol’s side, though, rode their luck. Cyprus twice struck the bar while the match was balanced at 1-1.
Indeed, they are undefeated in competitive action since October 2021, which is a run of 10 games. This includes a victory over Sweden and a draw at home against Norway to kick off their Euro 2024 qualifiers. When making your Scotland bet builder, their form must be respected.
Both us and the fans expected more against Cyprus, but the main thing is the victory and the three points obtained. We have not lost a competitive game for about 20 months. You can’t play well all the the time, but when they don’t play well and score points, it’s a good sign.”
Georgian coach Willy Sagnol has faith in the way his team have performed in recent times.
Saturday’s trip to Cyprus underlined how important Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is to them. Playing off the left, everything offensively was funnelled through him, and though his shooting was often wayward, it’s clear that he will be heavily involved in their play. The Napoli star hitting two or more shots is worth considering for a Georgia bet builder.
But there is more to Georgia than the man nicknamed ‘Kvaradona’. In goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and No.9 Georges Mikautadze they have two players coveted by Premier League clubs this summer. Keep an eye, too, on Gent’s Giorgi Chakvetadze, who has seven goals in 16 internationals.
What’s more, there are five who will be linking up with the U21 team for the European Championship after this match.
Georgia are a nation going places.
Georgia team news
The visiting side look to have a strong squad to pick from at Hampden, which is important to consider for your Scotland v Georgia bet builder.
Georgia did, however, pick up one injury problem in Cyprus, with Luka Lochoshvili sustaining a late issue. The severity of the issue is unknown and it is unclear if the Cremonese centre-back will be fit to play. Lasha Dvali will replace him if he cannot play.
Zuriko Davitashvili may be recalled after getting the winner off the bench at the weekend. He was expected to start that match.
Scotland v Georgia Cheat Sheet
The Georgian players who make the most fouls are central midfield pairing Georges Chekvetadze and Nika Kvekveskiri. Both will be up against Scotland’s John McGinn, who drifts into more central areas from his starting left midfield spot.
McGinn draws over two fouls a game, whilst Chekvetadze and Kvekveskiri, who will both be patrolling the spaces the Villa midfielder loves to attack, commit more than two fouls per 90 respectively. Both look to be good options for a foul or card selection in any Scotland v Georgia bet builder.
Georgian striker Midkautadze and winger-turned-striker Kvaratshkelia dominate the team’s shots, even in games that the other side dominates, for example against Norway in this campaign, both had 5 shots. Shot on target or even shots selections involving this pairing could be a nice avenue to explore when looking for some value.
Scotland v Georgia bet builder tips
Scotland v Georgia
Kick Off: 19:45
Competition: Euro 2024 Qualifier
Watch Live: Viaplay Sports 1
Selection: 1 of 3
Prediction: Aaron Hickey to commit 1+ foul
Odds: 1.33
Scotland’s surplus of left-backs means that Aaron Hickey is likely to be used on the right of the defence, where he will face up against Kvaratskhelia. It promises to be an interesting matchup, with both players used to playing an inverted role and, therefore, being comfortable coming inside the pitch.
Kvaratskhelia is known for his love of dribbling and suffered 11 fouls in his last six Serie A games of the season for Napoli. With Georgia, this is magnified because he carries so much of their possession. Against Cyprus, he was fouled on four occasions.
Hickey, playing out of position and up against Georgia’s best player, is likely to be drawn into at least one mistake, making this a nice way to boost a Scotland v Georgia bet builder.
Selection: 2 of 3
Prediction: Georges Mikautadze to have 1+ shot on target
Odds: 1.83
There are numerous Premier League clubs taking a look at Metz striker Georges Mikautadze, and they will see this clash with Scotland as a good acid test for a player who finished as France’s Ligue 2 Player of the Year and notched 23 goals (plus eight assists) in 37 league matches.
The Lyon-born striker is arguably the visitors’ greatest goal threat – outstripping even Kvaratskhelia – and that makes him a good value pick for any Georgia bet builder, particularly if it comes to just having one shot on target.
He has started to establish himself as a starter in the last two Euro 2024 qualifiers and, after netting in both, will surely play the vast majority of this fixture.
Selection: 3 of 3
Prediction: Over 1.5 Scotland cards
Odds: 1.53
The final Scotland v Georgia prediction is that the home side will see at least two bookings.
Steve Clarke’s side have picked up four bookings in their last couple of qualifying matches, and even against Cyprus they had two cautions. Although the Scots were the victims of some harsh refereeing at the weekend, there is a tendency for yellow cards to be accumulated by this squad.
The referee for this game is Hungarian official Istvan Vad, who is relatively inexperienced at this level, and averages a little over three bookings per match he has officiated this season.
The last international game he oversaw was a 2-0 Kazakhstan win over Azerbaijan in the Nations League last June. He showed no fear in booking home players in that encounter, with three Kazakhs shown a card despite their victory.
We expect that the trend of Scottish players seeing yellow will continue here.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets *
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *
