Scotland vs Greece Prediction: Back the hosts at 5/1 in HT/FT market on Sunday in Glasgow

Scotland and Greece renew rivalries when meeting for the second time this week and only the fourth in history. Steve Clarke’s Scots welcome Ivan Jovanovic’s Greeks to Hampden, and you can follow this playoff second leg live on the BBC with kick-off set for 17:00. But who wins?

Betfred’s football writer Frank Monkhouse is here with his thoughts on Sunday's clash. Read the article, follow the suggested wagers using the Betfred website or mobile app, and enjoy the game from Glasgow. I’m confident this match will live up to the hype before a packed stadium and a global audience and here is my preview and those all-important Scotland vs Greece Predictions...

Scotland are within touching distance of beating the drop and remaining at the top level of the UEFA Nations League. Steve Clarke’s men secured a battling 1-0 outside Athens on Thursday evening.

Scott McTominay rifled home from the penalty spot on 33 minutes to give his nation a narrow aggregate lead. Was it a penalty? Well, the officials and every member of the Tartan Army thought so.

Greece travel to Glasgow, knowing they missed a golden opportunity to reach the Nations League tier A. They narrowly missed out on automatic promotion when finishing second in their group behind England on goal difference.

The playoffs handed Greece a second chance, but they failed to make it count. Despite dominating the game in midweek, The Pirate Ship rarely looked like scoring.

Scotland vs Greece Odds

Despite being from the higher level and holding their own in impressive company during the groups, Scotland entered the first leg as the betting underdogs. Traders expected another painful night for the Tartan Army, but writing off Clarke’s men is never wise. They won in Greece just three days ago and can win again. Scotland are 6/4 at Betfred.

Things didn’t go their way at home on Thursday, but Greece aren’t out of the race. Score first at Hampden on Sunday evening, and things become interesting. Get that goal early enough, and it’s game on for both teams. Greece enter the field of play knowing exactly what they must do in Glasgow - win the game. A one-goal victory keeps the dream alive. A win by two or more goals will put the visitors through. You can bet on Greece at 7/4 or the draw at 11/5.

Under 2.5 goals

I wasn’t sure the Scotland backline was good enough to keep a clean sheet on Thursday, but they fought hard for their 1-0 win. The Scotland defence lived a charmed life for large periods of the first leg and were under almost constant pressure for a 30-minute period. But the Scots were organised, resolute, and patient to keep a clean sheet. More of the same is required on Sunday evening under the lights.

Greece know they must win at Hampden. Anything less, and it’s another season at level B. But the visitors are experienced enough to understand they can’t go on the attack from the first whistle. A reckless approach would leave Greece open to a counter-attack. With a tense match expected, under 2.5 goals is worth a place in your Sunday accumulators. It would’ve been a winner on Thursday and in three of Scotland’s last four starts.

Draw HT/Scotland FT

My second bet at Hampden will appeal to football fans looking for attractive odds. Although Sunday’s game will be tight, I expect Scotland to win on their patch. Clarke’s side were near-perfect in Greece and earned the right to finish the job in style. Victory would delight the crowd, hand the locals a fourth win on the spin, and prove Scotland has a future in League A.

I expect Scotland to sit in behind a tight defence in the opening exchanges of Sunday’s game. They’ll aim to take the sting out of Greece before striking to punish any mistakes as the visitors get tired and desperate. Bet on the teams to be level at half-time and Scotland to win the game at full-time. The 5/1 odds mean you can enjoy this bet as a single.

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Frank Monkhouse covers Scottish Football for us here at Betfred Insights. You can check out all of his work along with that of the rest of our Football Betting Tips desk on our main Football page...