Croatia vs. Scotland Prediction: Euro 2020 Betting Odds

Jordan Ramsay
June 21, 2021

Both Croatia and Scotland are out of the running to win Group D, but there’s a lot to play for on Tuesday with qualification for the knockout round still up for grabs. Croatia heads to Hampden Park in Glasgow after a 1-1 stalemate in their last match against the Czech Republic. Scotland, on the other hand, is riding high after a 0-0 draw against England, but they’re still looking for their first goal of the tournament.

Croatia is a +120 favourite to win on the soccer odds, with Scotland at +200. A draw is at +255.

Croatia vs. Scotland Betting Odds

With one total goal in four combined games between Croatia and Scotland in this tournament, it’s not surprising to see the Under 2.5 goals favoured at -127 and the Over at +100. For ‘draw no bet’, Croatia is -161, while Scotland is +116. Croatia’s Andrej Kramaric, Bruno Petkovic and Ante Budimir are all +740 to score the match’s first goal, while Kramaric is the favourite anytime scorer at +240. The favoured exact result in the game is a 1-1 draw at +440.

Both teams look like they’re going to have a tough time qualifying for the knockout round. Croatia is +135 to qualify, while Scotland is +174. Scotland is a -286 favourite to finish last in Group D.

Croatia

After Dejan Lovren’s wild elbow against the Czech Republic resulted in a Czech penalty goal, it looked like Croatia might start Euro 2020 with back-to-back losses. Luckily for Lovren, veteran Ivan Perisic buried the equalizer two minutes later, salvaging a point for Croatia. This squad’s chance to qualify as one of the four best third-placed teams greatly improves if England can beat the Czechs, but for now the best bet for Croatia is to focus on ending their four-game winless slide and beat Scotland. This was never a tournament-favourite team, but failure to make the top-16 would still be a huge disappointment for the Croatians.

There could be a boost to the lineup against Scotland, as Rangers left-back Borna Barisic will likely make his tournament debut. Barisic missed the first two match’s of the tournament with a back injury, but he began training with the main squad on the weekend and would do a lot to solidify Croatia’s back-end. Marcelo Brozovic is confirmed to be back in the starting XI against Scotland after being dropped for the Czech draw. Ante Rebic will be a substitute after a poor performance against the Czech Republic.

None of Croatia’s previous meetings with Scotland have ever produced more than two goals and although that’s unlikely to change here, the Croatian’s are due for some goals. This team has talent up front and that talent should be enough to get the win.

Scotland

Playing at Wembley against a much more talented English squad, Scotland’s draw felt like a win. The Scots were clearly motivated to embarrass their bitter rivals in front of England’s own fans and they did it by locking down the dangerous English attack. It will be interesting to see if that positive result against a tournament-favourite is enough to make this Scottish side believe they can qualify for the knockout round. Still without a goal in the tournament, qualification won’t be easy. Scotland may have history on their side, though. Scotland has never lost to Croatia and playing in front of the Tartan Army has always been difficult for opponents.

It was brutal news for the Scots when Billy Gilmour tested positive for COVID on Friday. With Gilmour out of the lineup against Croatia, Stuart Armstrong should be moved back into the midfield three. Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney returned from a minor muscle injury against England and was a big part of the clean sheet, so expect him to be a big factor again on Tuesday. If Steve Clarke has seen enough of Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes up front, Kevin Nisbet could be in line for the start.

It’s been 17 years since Scotland has failed to score in three straight competitive matches, but that streak could be in jeopardy as they’ll have their hands full on Tuesday in Glasgow.