France 1998 was the last time Scotland made it to a major footballing tournament, and after the heroics of the playoff final over Serbia and the penalty drama from David Marshall who wrote his name into Scottish footballing history with his save to send them to the tournament. Led by Steve Clarke, Scotland are unfancied to make a real dent in the tournament, but after showing their bottle over big sides on their way to the tournament, they will feel confident and ready for the challenges that lie ahead.

In this preview, we will talk about the team selection, Group D and I will make some predictions and discuss some of the odds on Scotland for this summers’ tournament. If you have anything to add, or want to share your thoughts on Scotland’s chances this summer, head over to Twitter (@NextGoalWinBlog) and let us know what you think.

Team News

Scotland’s team selection is fairly straight forward, and they are fortunate not suffering any injuries or casualties ahead of the tournament, giving Steve Clarke a full squad of talented players who got them to the tournament. In this, there are some big names such as the defensive wing-backs of Robertson and Tierney who, if Clarke can fit both in, are a real asset to the side. Meanwhile, the likes of McTominay and young Billy Gilmour will offer some depth in midfield, while up top you have the likes of Armstrong, Fraser, Adams, Christie and Dykes.

Goalkeepers: Craig Gordon, David Marshall, Jon McLaughlin

Defenders: Liam Cooper, Declan Gallagher, Grant Hanley, Jack Hendry, Scott McKenna, Stephen O’Donnell, Nathan Patterson, Andy Robertson, Greg Taylor, Kieran Tierney

Midfielders: Stuart Armstrong, Ryan Christie, John Fleck, Billy Gilmour, John McGinn, Callum McGregor, Scott McTominay, David Turnbull

Forwards: Che Adams, Lyndon Dykes, James Forrest, Ryan Fraser, Kevin Nisbet

Group D

Scotland find themselves in a fairly acceptable group on paper, as compared to some potential groups they could have fallen into, they will be excited to come up against the English side, Croatia and Czech Republic. Although there are no easy games in this group, they will be confident of putting on good performances and doing themselves proud, particularly in their 2 home games, where the Hampden Park crowd will be bouncing. With their easiest game kicking things off, they could get off to a great start if they can pick up a win over the Czech’s, which will ease the pressure on the England game, which if England fail to win their opener could mean they are a relaxed side playing a panicked one and could cause an upset if the conditions fall right for them. Finally, they play Croatia, who by this point may have already secured qualification, and therefore may be more relaxed or play a rotated side in this one, again giving the Scottish side a boost over a tricky opponent. All these conditions are ifs and buts, however if the results fall in their favour, the run of games may land perfect for Scotland to do something.

Things kick off for Scotland on June 14th against the Czech Republic at Hampden Park at 2pm, before moving onto the big rivalry matchup against England down in Wembley on June 18th kicking off at 8pm. Finally, the 3rd group game against Croatia heads back up to Glasgow as they face the 2018 World Cup runners up on June 22nd at 8pm.

Predictions

Looking at the group, and although there are potentially 3 places gaining qualification, I simply can’t see Scotland getting out of the group, although I would very much like to see it happen. With England clear favourites in group D, Croatia and Czech Republic are not going to make things easy, and although they are an aging side, Croatia will surely have too much to overcome for Clarke’s men. Therefore, I am predicting that it will be a 3rd place finish for Scotland with 3 points coming from a win over the Czech’s being their big moment in the tournament. Of course home advantage in the game against Croatia could play a part, and even a point in that final game could earn them qualification, I am struggling to see them getting anything from the game and sadly settling for 3rd just outside of the qualification spots.

Betting

If you fancy Scotland making the most of their first major tournament in 23 years, then there are some incredible odds to look at. Currently to win the whole thing, they are massive outsiders at odds of around 250/1. In more realistic terms (although we just predicted against it), they are at 11/10 to qualify from group D, where they are 11/8 to be knocked out at the round of 16, 6/1 to exit at the quarter finals, 22/1 to make the semi finals and 75/1 to make it all the way to the final and lose. Some very ambitious odds to talk about, and if you are a brave better with a pound or two to spare it may be worth it if you truly believe in the Scots.

Be sure to gamble responsibly!