Scotland vs Croatia tips and predictions: Tartan Army desperate for Nations League win to stave off relegation

By Daniel Coyle

Scotland state of play 

Scotland will look to snap an eight-match winless streak across all competitions when they host Croatia in UEFA Nations League action on Friday evening.

Steve Clark’s side are coming off a scoreless draw with Portugal in last month’s international break that earned them their first point in this season’s tournament; but can they find a first victory in all competitions since September 2023? The last time they won a game was the 3-0 away win against Cyprus in a Euro 2024 qualifier. 

Clark does have some credit in the bank after guiding Scotland to Euro 2024 and beating Spain during his tenure. However, the Scots must find a way to snap a dismal six-match slide on home turf to avoid relegation from League A Group 1 (Group A1) in this year’s tournament. 

Croatia state of play 

Croatia travel to Hampden Park having not lost in three straight Nations League contests after eking out a 3-3 draw in last month’s match against Poland. Vatreni, are comfortably in second place on the Group A1 table with a 2-1-1 win-draw-loss record. Plus they can clinch a place in the Nations League quarter-final by picking up a single point in Friday’s contest. 

Overall, Croatia have avoided defeat in 11 of their past 13 contests in all competitions and have beaten Scotland in two straight clashes, capped by last month’s 2-1 comeback victory. However, that did mark just their second victory overall since the beginning of this year’s European Championships. 

Key talking point: Can Luka Modric overcome the epic goalscoring drought in Scotland?   

Croatia received some timely goalscoring in last month’s Nations League action, scoring five total goals and picking up four points with a win over Scotland and a draw with Poland. That marked a turnaround for the Croatian attackers, who had scored more than once in just one of their five previous outings. 

However, a goalscorer’s touch has eluded veteran star Luka Modric, who has failed to find the back of the net in 14 straight matches across all competitions and scored just once so far in this season’s Nations League tournament.

Indeed, whatever offence that Croatia has managed to produce at this year’s tournament has come by committee, with six different players each notching a single goal through their first four matches. 

That may diminish the value of Modric’s 5/1 odds at Betgrouse to score anytime on Friday. But should not prevent Croatia from being opportunistic on offence against, what could become a desperate Scotland side. 

FIRST’s top tip for Scotland vs Croatia – Both teams to score and draw (177/50 with Betgrouse)

With Scotland facing a must-win situation, expect them to try to dictate the pace and carry the play to Croatia. That should create goalscoring opportunities for Croatia, who will otherwise take a conservative approach to a game in which all they need is one point to advance.  

Extra tips 

Player markets: Scott McTominay to score Scotland’s first goal at 79/20 with MrPlay

The heart and soul of Scotland’s attack midfielder Scott McTominay has scored three of his nation’s six total goals since the start of Euro 2024. McTominay has made a habit of bulging the net early, with four of his past eight goals with the national side coming inside the first half hour. Considering the urgency that Scotland faces, It should come as no surprise to see McTominay spearhead a fast Scotland start and pay out as a 79/20 bet at MrPlay to score the home side's first goal.

Team news

Reinforcements are reportedly on the way for Scotland, who had enough injuries to complete a full starting lineup during last month’s Nations League action. The most notable player set to return to action is John McGinn.

The Aston Villa midfielder recently returned from a hamstring injury that kept him off the pitch for four weeks. He will be counted on to generate scoring opportunities for his nation after scoring once and generating two total shots in his past two Premier League outings. 

As for Croatia, they arrive in Glasgow in good health as they seek a third straight head-to-head victory over the Scots.

Scotland vs Croatia predicted line-ups 

Scotland: Gordon; Ralston, Souttar, Hendry, Robertson; McLean, Gilmour; McGinn, McTominay, Doak; Dykes (4-2-3-1)

Croatia: Labrovic; Sutalo, Caleta-Car, Gvardiol; Perisic, Modric, Kovacic, Sosa; Baturina, Kramaric, Matanovic (3-4-3)

Odds correct at the time of writing