Scotland vs Greece prediction: Steve Clarke’s men to close out Nations League play-off triumph

Scotland are one step closer to retaining their League A status after defeating Greece in the first leg of their Nations League play-off in Piraeus.

Steve Clarke’s men secured a crucial 1-0 win in Athens to give them a slight advantage in the tie when the two countries clash for the second time in four days at Hampden Park.

Scott McTominay scored the only goal of the game on Thursday evening after a dominant performance from the Scots in the first half resulted in a penalty for the Napoli midfielder who was brought down by Lazaros Rota in the box.

He duly converted from the spot and football betting sites have him at 15/4 to score at anytime during Sunday’s second leg.

Scotland’s win in the first leg was a superb result against a stubborn Greek side who have beaten England as recently as October 2024.

They won six of their last seven games, with a 3-0 loss to England at home, during that run and would have been confident of sweeping the Scots aside.

A late VAR call in the first leg overturned a penalty decision after Grant Hanley fouled Taxiarchis Fountas in the area which would have seen the Greeks afforded the chance to equalise and end the match on level terms.

They will come out firing at Hampden with forward Christos Tzolis one to watch out for. Betting apps have him at 4/1 to score anytime which is a decent price for a winger who has four goals in 21 national team appearances.

Expect the visitors to score at least once though that may not be enough to earn them the victory. McTominay is in fine form on the international stage and with Che Adams, Lewis Ferguson and John McGinn there should be enough firepower for the Scots to at least add to their aggregate lead.

Scotland vs Greece prediction 1: A draw & both teams to score – 18/5 BetVictor

Scotland’s control and dominance of the first leg in Piraeus was upended by the introduction of 17-year-old Konstantinos Karetsas.

He was introduced at half-time and had more shots and touches in the opposition’s box than any of his Greek teammates. He can control and pass with both feet and only Kostas Tsimikas put more in more crosses for Greece.

The teenager will play with freedom and confidence but could prove crucial to his team’s chances of earning a spot in League A.

As he is likely to be used sparingly off the bench, betting sites favour other players such at Evangelos Pavlidis at 7/4 and Fotis Ioannidis at 15/8 but we think Karestsas could be a decent option to score or assist at any point during the game.

Scotland vs Greece prediction 2: Konstantinos Karetsas to score or assist – 11/4 Bet365

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