Denmark vs Scotland Prediction: Danes to draw first blood in Group C

Steve Clarke takes his Scotland side to Denmark for the opening match of World Cup 2026 qualifying Group C, live on BBC Two from 19:45.

Betfred Scottish football writer Frank Monkhouse previews Friday’s clash, highlights the best from the betting angle and picks out his two Best Bets in his Denmark vs Scotland Prediction...

Scotland’s journey to World Cup 2026 begins this weekend when travelling to Denmark for a 19:45 BST start. Steve Clarke’s men share Group C with the Danes, Greece, and Belarus.

Qualification certainly won’t come easy, but an away win on matchday one would certainly boost their chances of making it to ‘We Are 26’, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Will the points head back to Glasgow at full-time

Betfred customers can bet on a wide range of Denmark vs Scotland markets, including match winner, both teams to score, handicap, total goals, and more. Read our preview, study the stats, and place your bets at the user-friendly mobile app or modern website.

Scotland boast an 11-7 lead over Denmark on the head-to-head, including a 2-0 win when the teams last met back in November 2021. Will Friday’s renewal bring repeat or revenge?

Match Odds

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Brian Riemer leads his Denmark team out against Scotland at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, hoping to get off to the perfect start. The home team enter with confidence, following back-to-back friendly wins over Northern Ireland and Lithuania, scoring seven goals and conceding just one. Danish Dynamite have also won three of their previous four, with an eye-catching 1-0 over Portugal achieved at this venue back in March. 

Fancy more of the same? You can back Denmark for a winning start at 4/7 with Betfred.

Scotland manager Steve Clarke jets to Copenhagen knowing his future in the Hampden hotseat could rest on him leading the Tartan Army to next summer’s showpiece. The former Kilmarnock boss shoulders much of the blame for a mixed bag of results, with Scotland losing half of their last four. They beat Greece 1-0 on the road, but were thumped by the same opponent 3-0 at Hampden in the second leg of a UEFA Nations League playoff. 

Scotland also lost 3-1 at home to Iceland in a friendly, before doing as expected when beating Liechtenstein 4-0 last time. The away win is 5/1 with a draw trading at 3/1.

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.

Denmark win

Our first bet in Copenhagen is for Denmark to win, and I expect home advantage to make all the difference in a game involving two evenly matched sides. The Danes battled to a 2-0 win when they last hosted Scotland, almost exactly four years ago.

They got the desired result that day thanks to a quick-fire double from Daniel Wass and Joakim Maehle. The beaten team managed just two shots on target and a pitiful 38% of the ball possession.

A youthful Scotland travel without Lawrence Shankland, Greg Taylor, Josh Doig, Nathan Paterson and Ryan Porteous.

Clarke’s decision to select 33-year-old defender Grant Hanley didn’t go down well with many supporters, and an attacking pool made up of Che Adams, Kieron Bowie, Lyndon Dykes, and George Hirst does little to inspire confidence. Denmark look good value for a home win, and you can add them to your weekend accumulators.

Denmark win to nil

We place our trust in the stats when pushing for a winner at bigger odds. The H2H shows at least one team failed to score in each of the last three matches involving the Danes and Scots. Going back further, that’s also true in eight of the previous ten games.

During that run, which stretches back to the 1986 World Cup, Denmark has won to nil six times, with four 1-0 victories. Everyone connected to the home team would gladly accept another.

A bet on Denmark to win to nil was also the correct approach when they beat Lithuania 5-0, Portugal 1-0, Serbia 2-0, and Switzerland by the same scoreline.

When remembering that Scotland failed to find the net against Greece, Portugal, and Hungary, I’m confident we’re looking in the right places and will enjoy a run for our money. Back Denmark to beat Scotland without conceding, and hope the locals boost your balance on matchday one.

Frank Monkhouse Scottish Football P/L