Scotland vs. Czech Republic: Euro 2020 Betting Odds

Scotland and the Czech Republic will meet for their first game of Euro 2020 at Hampden Park in Glascow. The Scots earned their Euro 2020 ticket through playoff qualification and come into this tournament unbeaten through five games in 2021. The Czechs, on the other hand, had a much easier qualification process. They earned their spot by finishing as runners-up of their qualification group, although they’ve struggled at times this year.

This should be a tight game and it’s reflected on the soccer odds. Scotland and the Czech Republic are both at an equal +175 to win the game, while a draw is at +191.

Scotland vs. Czech Republic Odds

On the ‘draw no bet’ odds, Scotland sits at -114, while the Czech Republic is at +120. The total of 2.5 goals is seeing the Under favoured at -192 and the Over sitting at+149. Just like the match odds, the first team to score is split evenly between Scotland and the Czech Republic with no goals in the game going at +600. The favoured exact result is a 1-1 draw, sitting at +360.

The favoured ‘stage of elimination’ odds for the Czechs sees them not making it out of the group stage, with that result at -111. They’re +13900 long shots to win the tournament. It’s fairly similar for Scotland, as they’re at -167 to be eliminated in the group stage and +19500 underdogs to win the tournament.

Scotland

Manager Steve Clark has guided Scotland to their first European Championship appearance since 1996. Clark has relied on the same core lineup since the year’s first international break, with Liam Palmer, Kenny McLean and Oliver McBurnie being the only notable absentees. Replacing those three players, will be Billy Gilmour, David Turnbull and Nathan Patterson, who are all debuting for the senior national team in this tournament.

It’s easy to see that this team is going to need to heavily rely on John McGinn for offence. The Aston Villa midfielder scored seven goals in eight qualifying matches while no one else on the roster scored more than once. McGinn is a big-game player and he has the power to sway the vital midfield battle in this game. He should also alleviate a lot of the pressure forward Che Adams would normally feel, creating offensive danger all over the field for the Scots.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic have qualified for every European Championship since 1996, but there’s still a bitter taste left over from Euro 2016, where the Czechs failed to win a game and bowed out of the group stage with a single point. Manager Jaroslav Silhavy has been fairly consistent with his roster, but he did find himself forced to make one significant change. Goalkeeper Tomas Koubeck is a late addition to the squad after Jiri Pavlenka was forced out of the tournament with a back injury. Pavlenka’s injury should elevate Tomas Vaclik to start in goal for the Czechs, while Koubeck will serve as a third goalkeeper.

Tomas Soucek will be responsible for keeping McGinn in check. The West Ham midfield is a versatile player who provides a solid defensive presence at the back during corners and free-kicks. Soucek is also an offensive threat and he was a big part of this team’s easier qualification journey. The battle between Soucek and McGinn could be the determining factor in this game.