Belarus vs Scotland Prediction: Back Scots to score a narrow away win

Scotland play Belarus on matchday two in World Cup qualifying Group C. The visitors scored a hard-earned draw in Denmark on Friday, and Betfred’s Frank Monkhouse expects his countrymen to go one better on Monday evening. BBC One Scotland and the BBC Sport Website and iPlayer for this one with kick-off slated for 19:45.

Our Scottish football reporter was buoyed by that result and has put together his match preview for us here at Betfred Insights - including his two top Belarus vs Scotland Predictions...

Belarus and Scotland dispute three World Cup qualifying points at ZTE Arena in Hungary on Monday. You can follow the action live on the BBC from 19:45 BST and bet on over 100 pre-match markets at Betfred.

Which team will come out on top and strengthen their claim for a place at World Cup 2026 in the United States, Canada and Mexico?

The White Wings and Tartan Army have played one game each, with the hosts losing to Greece, and Scotland finishing goalless in Denmark.

The head-to-head stats show that these nations have met only four times previously, with Belarus winning once, Scotland boasting two wins, and the remaining match ending in a draw. The most recent was played 20 years ago, when the team from Minsk won 1-0. Big odds are available to those who expect a repeat performance.

Match Odds

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The home team in this fixture suffered a painful loss on Friday, losing 5-1 to Greece at Stadio Georgios Karaiskáki.

Carlos Alos led his team into that match as the underdogs, but few expected such a punishing defeat. Are the Greeks approaching their best form, or are Belarus a weak team that will quickly become the whipping boys of Group C? We’ll be clearer on that after Monday’s game in Hungary. Victory for Belarus is 11/2 at Betfred.

Steve Clarke took his World Cup hopefuls to Denmark at the weekend, knowing they were the underdogs. Many pundits picked the Danes to open with a win and pile pressure on the visiting boss, but neither side deserved three points at the end of a dull 90 minutes.

More than 35,000 fans at Parkden watched Denmark dominate the ball, but the match produced just three shots on target. Better is expected here, and you can back a Scotland win at 4/7 or shoot for another draw at 13/5.

You can bet on this match via our Denmark vs Scotland Odds page on the main betfred.com website with all the latest prices and full betting markets.

Under 2.5 Goals

The pre-match betting odds attached to Belarus vs Scotland by the Betfred traders suggest a strong away win and a few goals scored, but I’m not convinced.

Belarus must play their matches on neutral territory, meaning they lose any advantage gained from playing at Dimamo Stadium. They had just 36% of the ball possession on Friday, conceded five goals, and had only a late penalty to show for their efforts. Greece ended that game with 15 shots on target against four from the beaten team.

Turning our attention to Scotland, they were less than impressive during that goalless draw in Denmark. Neither team caught the eye and did much to suggest they can challenge Greece for pole position and automatic qualification.

Scotland won 70% of tackles and kept a clean sheet, showing their strength in defence, but one shot on target shows where the problem lies for Clarke.

The visitors lack firepower in attack, leading us to a bet on Monday’s match to produce fewer than three goals for both teams combined. That would’ve been a winning bet in all but one of the previous four meetings.

Scotland to win to nil

Our second bet in Hungary gives us a crack at better odds, backing Scotland to win to nil.

The Danes were nowhere near their best on Friday at Parkden, but Clarke will take heart from how his men handled themselves in a tricky fixture. They must carry that organisation and work-rate into matchday two, while being more commanding in midfield and imaginative in attack.

Having conceded five goals in their first match, Alos will set his team up to frustrate, challenging them to show they have a part to play in a competitive pool. With that in mind, Scotland must be patient and do the ugly work to dig out an important three points.

I don’t expect it to be a pretty win by anyone’s standards, but Scotland will pack their bags for the return flight with four points from a possible six. They can then look forward to home matches against Greece and Belarus in October.

Frank Monkhouse Scottish Football P/L