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Scotland will entertain Greece at Hampden Park in the second leg of the UEFA Nations League playoffs on Sunday. They met in Piraeus on Thursday and Scott McTominay's first-half penalty helped the Tartan Army register a 1-0 away win.
The hosts extended their winning streak in the competition to three games on Thursday while keeping their third clean sheet in four games. They finished third in the Group A1 table, just one point behind Croatia. They earned promotion from League B after the 2022-23 edition and will look to avoid dropping out from the top division.
Greece suffered their second consecutive loss at home in the Nations League and also failed to score for the second home game on the trot. They missed out on direct promotion to League A to England, as they fell behind on the head-to-head goal difference. They were in League C for the first three editions of the competition and earning promotion to League A will be a significant achievement for them.
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Scotland vs Greece Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have met thrice thus far. Interestingly, all three games have ended in a scoreline of 1-0. The hosts have been the better side in these meetings, recording two wins.
- The visitors have won their last three Nations League games and have scored two goals apiece in these wins.
- Scotland have suffered just one loss at home in the Nations League, recording eight wins in 11 games.
- Greece have seen conclusive results in their last 13 games in the Nations League, recording 10 wins.
- The hosts have won three of their last 13 competitive games, with two wins registered in away games.
- The visitors have won six of their last 10 competitive games.
Scotland vs Greece Prediction
The hosts have enjoyed a good run of form and are unbeaten in their last four games in the Nations League. They have scored in all but one of their 11 home games in the competition and will look to build on that form. They only have a one-goal lead on aggregate, so they'll need to put in a strong performance here.
Ryan Christie has served his one-game ban and is expected to return to the starting XI. Kieran Tierney started from the bench and might get the nod to start. Steve Clarke is expected to make a couple of changes to the starting XI from the first leg.
Ethniki produced a good performance in the second half on Thursday, though managed just one shot on target in the first half. Notably, they had a 100% record in their travels in the league phase of the Nations League and will look to build on that form.
Emmanouil Siopis was booked in the first leg and is suspended for the trip to Glasgow. Vangelis Pavlidis was on the bench on Thursday and is likely to return to the starting XI.
We expect the two teams to contest this match closely, just like the first leg, and Scotland should make the most of their home advantage to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Scotland 2-1 Greece
Scotland vs Greece Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Scotland to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes
Tip 4: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
