Bosnia are going to make this as awkward as possible for Italy who are attempting to reach the World Cup after missing out in 2018 and 2022 in the final stages of qualification.

Part of this will be Bosnia being as aggressive as possible when without the ball. Bosnia have committed more fouls than any other country during qualifying (17.7 per game), also picking up more yellow cards than any other side (25).

Bosnia have picked up 2+ cards in eight of their nine qualifying matches, with the exception of a 1-0 home win over San Marino which wasn’t really a contest. 

Turkiye were pretty unfortunate to be drawn into a qualifying group alongside Spain, who obviously topped the group to secure automatic progression to the World Cup.

Turkiye won four of their six matches during qualifying, only dropping points to Spain in the form of a draw and loss. They netted 17 goals across these matches, suggesting that Turkiye have the quality to battle through to the World Cup.

They take on a Kosovo side who have done very well to get this far, but had a pretty easy ride in qualifying with only Switzerland really offering them a threat. Both Sweden and Slovenia as the other sides in that group both failed to win a single game - indicating that Kosovo have got a bit lucky to get this far.

There’s also a big disparity between the sides when it comes to scoring power, Kosovo only scored six goals across their six qualifying matches - which won’t be enough to see off a Türkiye side who have a wealth of attacking talent. 

This is probably the toughest match to call of the final World Cup Qualifiers, but I think it will be entertaining with both sides able to contribute to at least two goals in this clash.

Both sides saw four goals in their semi-final matches, with Czechia having to come from behind to earn a 2-2 draw and see off Ireland and penalties while Denmark had a more straightforward evening in putting four goals past North Macedonia.

Denmark have seen 2+ goals in six of their seven qualifying matches, with the exception of a 0-0 draw with Scotland. Overall, Denmark have seen 27 goals across their seven qualifying matches - working out to an average of 3.85 goals per game.

Czechia have seen 2+ goals in eight of their nine qualifying matches, with the exception of their 0-0 draw against Croatia. This tie could very well go the distance with how closely ranked the teams are in key metrics, but goals look to be a good angle with the result tough to call.

Poland showed plenty of fight to come from behind to see off Albania 2-1 in the semi finals and will be cautiously optimistic of coming through this clash with knowledge of how Sweden have struggled on the international stage over recent years.

Poland had 15 shots to score their two goals against Albania, and have scored in each of their last 15 matches across all competitions. The last team to stop Poland finding the back of the net was Croatia back in 2024, with Poland taking on the likes of Portugal and Netherlands in this period.

Sweden booked their spot in the final via a hat trick from Viktor Gyokeres, but did concede in that game which marked the eighth consecutive game where Sweden have failed to keep a clean sheet.

While Scott McTominay didn’t manage to get himself on the scoresheet against Japan on Saturday evening, it wasn’t for the lack of trying. The Scotland talisman was responsible for 4 of Scotland’s 8 shots during Saturday’s friendly, 2 of which were on target.

McTominay was also a constant threat for Scotland during World Cup qualifying, averaging 1.84 shots per game, with 1.01 of those hitting the target. Digging a little deeper, it can be seen that the attacking midfielder delivered at least 1 on-target effort in 5 of Scotland’s 6 World Cup qualifiers. The Napoli ace was showing a similar level of threat in the most recent edition of the Nations League, registering at least 1 on-target effort in 7 of his 8 appearances.

With all that in mind, it’s difficult to look past McTominay to produce a minimum of 1 shot on target on Tuesday night against an Ivory Coast side that conceded 12 shots during Saturday’s 4-0 success against South Korea.

I suspect Anthony Ralston will earn a recall to the Scotland starting XI on Tuesday night, which makes him an appealing option to commit at least one foul. Despite being a bit-part player for both club and country this season, Ralston has a tendency to overstep the mark.

The Scotland right-back was a regular starter during the last Nations League campaign and notably committed a foul in 6 of his 8 outings, giving away multiple free-kicks in 4 of those matches. It’s also worth noting that the 27-year-old started against Liechtenstein in a friendly last year and was penalised once during that fixture.

Further encouragement comes from the fact that Ralston has committed a combined total of 5 fouls across his last 4 Scottish Premiership appearances for Celtic, including 1 as a substitute in a recent win over Motherwell.

Team news permitting, Ralston could find himself in a direct duel with Martial Godo on Tuesday night. The Ivory Coast winger has proven to be a magnet for fouls this season, earning his club side Strasbourg an average of 1.74 free-kicks per 90 in Ligue 1.

I suggested backing Japan to avoid defeat against Scotland on Saturday evening, and they duly delivered with a well-earned 1-0 victory. Given how underwhelming Scotland were, I’m more than happy to take the same approach here by keeping Ivory Coast onside via the Double Chance.

The Elephants produced a number of eye-catching displays during World Cup qualifying, impressively navigating their way to this summer’s showpiece without tasting defeat across 10 matches, winning eight of those.

While Ivory Coast were unable to retain their Africa Cup of Nations crown at the start of the year, they showed no signs of a hangover as they swept aside South Korea 4-0 at Stadium MK on Saturday. That doesn’t bode well for Scotland, who looked well off the pace in their 1-0 home defeat to Japan on Saturday. With that in mind, combined with the Scots' sub-par record in friendly fixtures in recent years, I’m keen to back Ivory Coast to emerge from this friendly fixture with either a win or a draw.

While Scotland’s friendly against Japan produced just 1 goal on Saturday evening, I’m not letting that put me off backing at least 2 match strikes at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Tuesday night. The 1-0 scoreline at Hampden was tighter than it suggests, with Scotland losing the shot count 18-8 and conceding 7 efforts on target.

Moreover, goal-heavy games were a regular feature of Scotland’s World Cup qualifiers, with 5 of their 6 fixtures producing over 1.5 goals, and each of their final 4 assignments breaking the over 2.5 goal barrier.

As for the Ivory Coast, they carry plenty of attacking threat, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they scored over 1.5 goals on their own in this contest. The Elephants managed that in 4 of their 8 World Cup qualifying wins, including each of the last 2. What’s more, Saturday’s 4-0 victory over South Korea showed they’re just as capable in friendlies.

On top of all that, 4 of Ivory Coast’s 5 AFCON fixtures produced over 1.5 goals.

Moise Kean netted Italy's second goal against Northern Ireland last time out to set up this tie, so he should enter this game with plenty of confidence.

Sandro Tonali stole the headlines from that game due to his impressive performance, but Kean took his goal well and forms a pretty decent partnership with Retegui as a front pairing. Italy have been very attacking under Gattuso so far, managing 15+ shots in all of the qualifying matches that Gattuso has taken charge of.

Kean has scored 12 goals across his 25 caps for Italy (0.48 goals per game) and has netted eight goals across his 22 starts for a struggling Fiorentina side in Serie A this season.

I still think that Rasmus Hojlund has plenty of qualities, despite many writing him off after a tough spell at Manchester United. He has found his feet a bit more at Napoli, netting 14 goals across his 37 appearances in all competitions this term and has a pretty strong record for Denmark as a young striker.

Hojlund has netted five goals across just three starts in qualifying for Denmark, and has scored 13 goals across his 32 caps overall (0.40 goals per game). Denmark are slight favourites to win here and should be able to provide service for Hojlund to get on the scoresheet in what should be a game that produces quite a few goals with the sides quite well matched.

Viktor Gyokeres should be full of confidence after netting a hat-trick against Ukraine last time out to earn Sweden a spot in the final round of the playoffs.

Sweden are a bit lucky to be here after failing to win a single game in their qualifying group, with only their Nations League performances earning them a spot in these playoffs. Graham Potter has since taken over Sweden as head coach and improved things slightly, notably giving Gyokeres some much needed confidence.

With Isak injured, Gyokeres will be Sweden's main goal threat and striker here. He'll also be on penalties which can serve as a route to goal if his chances are limited in open play. Gyokeres has scored 18 goals across his 31 caps for Sweden - working out to an average of 0.58 goals per game.

I took this angle when Uruguay played England last week, with the South American side priced at 1.8 to score at Wembley in their 1-1 draw. 

England looked far from secure at the back. Thomas Tuchel did rotate the squad, which can take partial blame for England conceding, but I think the backline is the weakest part of this England squad and has been exposed at times by the better sides that England have faced under Tuchel.

This price is probably so generous due to England’s defensive record during in qualifying, in which they didn’t concede a goal. They did, however, concede three goals against Senegal in a friendly last year, and conceded against Uruguay last week from the penalty spot.

Japan have been growing on the international stage for some time, and arrive for this game having avoided defeat across their last five matches. They’ve scored in all five of those games, including against Scotland at the weekend.

Harry Kane should come into the starting lineup here after watching from the sidelines as England drew 1-1 with Uruguay. England clearly miss Kane whenever he is rested or unavailable, and the backup options to him are a stark drop-off from the quality he offers England.

Kane is England’s all-time top goalscorer with 78 goals across just 112 caps (0.69 goals per game), which is an incredible record to maintain on the international stage. Kane netted eight goals across his eight starts during qualifying, taking 31 shots across those matches (4.10 per 90).

Of those 31 attempts, 16 found the target - working out to an average of 2.10 shots on target per 90. Furthermore, Kane is averaging 2.66 shots on target per 90 in the Bundesliga this term, so he is covering this line very regularly and quite comfortably in most matches. He should get good service here, with England expected to line up with a stronger XI than the one that took on Uruguay last week.

I think Elliot Anderson should be one of the first names on the team sheet at the World Cup, which may seem a bit reactionary given his relatively recent breakthrough into the national team and the variety of options that England have available to partner Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham in midfield.

Anderson complements those two more than the likes of James Garner, Kobbie Mainoo or Adam Wharton and has impressed me every time he’s lined up for the Three Lions. Winning fouls is a strong part of Anderson’s game, he’s drawn 68 fouls across his 31 starts in the Premier League this season (2.21 per 90) and is averaging around 90 touches per 90 in the top-flight.

To add to this, Anderson drew eight fouls across just four starts during England’s qualifying campaign (1.95 per 90). His touches per 90 increase for England to over 120 touches, aiding his ability to win fouls.

Edin Dzeko is still a real threat for Bosnia at the age of 40, and netted the equaliser for his national team against Wales last week as Bosnia went on to qualify for this final round on penalties.

Dzeko netted six goals across his seven matches during qualifying for Bosnia, and has an insane record for his national side with 72 goals across 145 caps (0.49 goals per game). He took 26 shots across his seven qualifying matches (3.93 per 90), seeing nine of those efforts find the target (1.36 per 90) - so Dzeko is clearly Bosnia’s biggest goal threat.

Furthermore, Dzeko has netted six goals across his six starts for Schalke in Bundesliga 2 this season, managing eight shots on target across those starts (1.35 per 90). Bosnia averaged 4.70 shots on target per game during qualifying, and the desperation to reach the World Cup should see them service their experienced forward here. 

Dimarco had a shot on target when Italy triumphed over Northern Ireland last week to book their spot in the final round of qualifying. This particular campaign means a lot to Italy, who have failed to qualify for each of the last two World Cups - putting real pressure on Gennaro Gattuso and his men in a game that Italy are expected to win.

Dimarco will line up as a left wing back for Italy here, the same role he plays for Inter Milan, and loves to get forward. I actually think he’s quite vulnerable defensively, which is probably why he’s always platformed as a wing back, but his willingness to get forward can play to our advantage here.

Dimarco took 16 shots across his seven starts in qualifying for Italy (2.52 per 90), seeing six of those efforts find the target (0.94 per 90). This is a really consistent record for a wing back and shows that Dimarco is given instructions to join the attack as often as he can. As well as this, Dimarco is maintaining an average of 0.73 shots on target per 90 in Serie A this term - resulting in six goals for the wing back.

Calafiori is a wonderful player to watch when he is given licence to get forward, which he is trusted to do by both Mikel Arteta and Gattuso. Calafiori had two shots against Northern Ireland last time out, advancing as Italy’s left centre back in their back three shape. 

This is slightly different to the role that Calafiori is asked to perform at Arsenal, where he plays as a left back, but the runs forward he makes are similar. Calafiori took eight shots across his four starts during Italy’s qualifying campaign (2.00 per 90), managing at least one shot in all four of those games.

If we look at his record for Arsenal, Calafiori has taken 28 shots across his 18 starts in the Premier League (1.73 per 90). There was a brief period in the season where Calafiori ranked as one of Arsenal’s biggest shot threats - highlighting how strong he is when stepping forward into more advanced areas to get shots away.

Italy had to be patient in their 2-0 win over Northern Ireland last week to set up this clash, and I think they will have to wait for the breakthrough here again. Italy racked up 12 corners in that win over Northern Ireland, showing how Italian pressure can lead to a high corner count, as they are not the most clinical side on the international stage.

Bosnia won’t have any issues with sitting deep and soaking up pressure in this clash, knowing that Italy won’t be able to put together wave after wave of attack as their forward options are quite weak. This should lead to Italy having the opportunity to rack up the corner count, as they did last week against Northern Ireland on their way to victory.

Desperation should also kick in at some stage and drive Italy forward if they are struggling to break the deadlock. Bosnia conceded nine corners against Wales last week, and should expect Italy to register at least five corners in this crucial clash.