Football Bet of the Day: Scotland set for another entertaining defeat

Steve Clarke’s Scotland side are giving a decent account of themselves in League A of the Nations League, but despite their efforts, they are yet to pick up a point from three games. They’ve lost to Croatia, Poland and Portugal, and next up, Roberto Martinez’s men visit Hampden Park.

Cristiano Ronaldo is still going strong and should start this one at the age of 39, as his side look to secure top spot in the group having won three from three so far. Below you can find my Football Bet of the Day as we take a look at this intriguing fixture on Tuesday night. 

Portugal have been in fine fettle during this Nations League campaign and after the disappointment of Euro 2024, where they crashed out at the quarter-final stage to France on penalties, they are looking to establish themselves as one of the finest teams in the world. 

Martinez has done pretty well since taking the job, winning 19 of his 23 matches so far, and they are in pole position to top the group after three wins from three. Portugal have also had a slightly interesting quirk as they have won all three Nations League matches, but conceded in all three victories.

They beat Croatia and Scotland 2-1, while last time out they enjoyed a 3-1 success over Poland. Ronaldo found the net in that one and now surely has his eyes set on scoring 1000 goals before he hangs up his boots. However, the defensive duo of Ruben Dias and Renato Veiga is one that continues to be breached, and Clarke’s men will want to put them to the test. 

If this game follows the same pattern as Portugal’s previous ones, we will be onto a winner. But there’s more to this selection, as Scotland have lost all three of their Nations League matches so far, but found the net in each of them. They lost 3-2 at home to Poland, before 2-1 defeats on the road to both Portugal and Croatia. 

Now, back at Hampden, they will be desperate to cause an upset, but clearly they have defensive vulnerabilities that are likely to cost them. Grant Hanley and John Souttar started at the heart of the defence in their most-recent defeat, and it’s difficult to see a world in which they can stop the likes of Ronaldo and Rafael Leao from scoring. 

The atmosphere at Hampden will be phenomenal, as it always is when Scotland take on one of the big boys of world football. Flower of Scotland will set the tone for what should be a pretty spectacular evening of action, and I think the hosts will be able to find the net, as they did in the away fixture through Scott McTominay. 

However, Portugal’s ultimate quality should shine through in the end. They are, in my opinion, one of the top four international teams in the world, and should be competing for all major trophies over the next decade. Meanwhile, Scotland are improving and have done well to reach this level, where they are consistently testing themselves against Europe’s finest sides. But, I think it will be four wins from four for Portugal, with both teams finding the net. Priced at 2/1, that is our Football Bet of the Day for Tuesday, October 15. 

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