Scotland look to continue their push for World Cup qualification when they host Israel on Saturday. Jake Osgathorpe is backing them with his best bet.
After qualifying for, and being competitive in, Euro 2020, Scotland are in a decent position to give themselves a chance of making it to the 2022 World Cup.
They sit second in Group F on 11 points, one clear of the team they play on Saturday, Israel.
This game represents an excellent opportunity for Steve Clarke's men to grab second place with both hands, with a win moving them four clear of their closest rivals with just three games to play.
Kick-off time: 17:00 BST, Saturday
TV channel: Sky Sports Premier League
The Tartan Army had a fruitful September international break, losing to runaway leaders Denmark before beating Moldova and Austria by 1-0 scorelines.
Scotland have picked up where they left off at the end of Euro 2020 - unfortunate to finish bottom of Group D according to expected goals, ranking as the second best team based on expected points (xPoints) and expected goal difference (xGD).
Those performances highlighted the improvements the Scots have made under Clarke, and to my mind they have separated themselves from teams that we used to say were at the same level - like Israel.
Defence has been their main strength under Steve Clarke, with goals being hard to come by, with that meaning they stay in a lot of matches against better opponents but struggle to beat lesser sides as comfortably as some of their counterparts.
Their goal records tell the story, with Scotland scoring five and conceding four in six Nations League matches, and netting nine while allowing five in their World Cup qualifying campaign - with four of those coming in one game against the Faroe Islands.
Israel arguably pack more of a punch in attack than Scotland, a 5-2 win over Austria in the last break a good example, so expect the hosts to again revert to type and play defence-first, controlled football.
Given they have home field advantage and a better team and set-up, I'm liking the look of SCOTLAND TO WIN AND UNDER 3.5 GOALS.
Seven of Scotland's last 10 wins in normal time have seen Under 3.5 Goals, while 15 of their last 19 internationals have featured fewer than four goals.
Scotland v Israel best bets and score prediction
- 1pt Scotland to win and Under 3.5 Goals at 6/4 (Mansion Bet)
Score prediction: Scotland 1-0 Israel (Sky Bet odds: 5/1)
Odds correct at 1545 BST (06/10/21)
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