Jake Pearson previews the international friendly between Scotland and Poland, with Steve Clarke's men appealing as the stronger of the two outfits.
- Kick-off time: 19:45 GMT, Thursday
- TV channel: Sky Sports Football
- Scotland 6/4 | Draw 2/1 | Poland 19/10
March 24th was pencilled in to be one of the biggest days in recent Scottish football with Steve Clarke’s men initially scheduled to take on Ukraine in their World Cup play-off semi-final.
Events in Ukraine have seen the fixture postponed however, with a rescheduled date yet to be decided.
It means the Tartan Army will now face Poland in a friendly, but it is important for both teams to keep momentum ahead of their respective upcoming fixtures – Poland were scheduled to face off against the Football Union of Russia but have refuse to play.
Clarke confirmed at his pre-match press conference that both Lyndon Dykes and Andy Robertson will miss Thursday’s friendly against Poland at Hampden through injury and Covid respectively, while Bologna left-back Aaron Hickey is unwell and unlikely to be deemed fit enough start the game.
The absence of Dykes and Robertson in particular will be a blow for Scotland, but Clarke’s men arrive into this fixture in red-hot form, having won their last six successive matches, and they could still have enough to put Poland to the sword.
This will be the first game in charge of Poland for new manager Czesław Michniewicz, who has taken the reigns from Paulo Sousa. With his previous experience raising a few eyebrows, Scotland should be confident of victory at Hampden Park, a stadium they have tasted defeat at just once since September 2019.
The current top price of 6/4 about a Scotland win certainly makes appeal, but it is always difficult to bet with real confidence when it comes to international friendlies.
Clarke’s men are one of the most underrated international teams in Europe at present, they proved as much throughout their qualifying campaign – their victory over Denmark in their final qualification game a big statement. Expect another big performance.
Score prediction: Scotland 1-0 Poland (Sky Bet odds: 11/2)
Odds correct at 1410 GMT (23/03/21)
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
