The chances of Scotland reaching the 2018 World Cup in Russia look pretty dim at the moment. However, they’ll have a chance to earn three big points when they host Slovenia in an important Group F World Cup qualifying contest at Hampden Park in Glasgow this Sunday, March 26th. England currently leads the six-team group with 10 points and is followed by Slovenia with eight, Slovakia with six, Lithuania with five, Scotland with four points and last-place Malta with none.
Scotland vs Slovenia – Pinnacle Soccer Betting Line:
- Pinnacle currently lists Scotland as the favorites to win the game at +136 with Slovenia +254 and a draw at +213
Scotland vs Slovenia – Head to Head:
- The countries have faced each other just three times in the past with Scotland winning one and drawing the other two while outscoring Slovenia 4-1. Their last meeting was a 1-1 draw in Slovenia in February of 2012.
Scotland – A Closer Look:
Scotland enters the game with just one win in their past seven games to go along with four losses and a pair of draws. The nation is currently ranked number 67 in the world by FIFA. They played a tune-up game at home against Canada on Wednesday and came away with a come-from-behind 1-1 draw. The Scottish occupy fifth place in Group F with just four points. They have a win, a draw and two losses with six goals for and eight against.
Scotland opened their qualifying campaign with a 5-1 thumping of Malta away with help from a Robert Snodgrass hat trick and then drew 1-1 at home with Lithuania thanks to a last-minute goal by James McArthur. This was followed with a 3-0 defeat in Slovakia and then a 3-0 defeat away at Wembley to England. It looks like manager Gordon Strachan will be without McArthur, Grant Hanley and Matt Phillips for this game due to injury.
Slovenia – A Closer Look:
Slovenia enters the game with three wins and three draws in their past six games and is currently ranked number 58 in the world by FIFA. Their last outing was a 2-0 home win over Finland on January 13th in an international showdown. Slovenia sits in second place in Group F behind England with eight points from two wins and two draws. They’ve scored four goals and allowed two against.
Slovenia opened their qualifying campaign with a 2-2 draw in Lithuania after falling behind 2-0 and then edged Slovakia 1-0 at home. This was followed by a 0-0 draw at home against England and a 1-0 victory in Malta. They haven’t allowed a goal against in over three games now. Manager Srecko Katanec will be depending on key players Bostjan Cesar, Valter Birsa and striker Milivoje Novakovic to have big games.
Scotland vs Slovenia – Takeaway:
It looks like Slovenia could hang in with a shot at challenging England for first place in the group or at least making it to the playoff round as one of the best second-place teams. If Scotland has any chance at all of challenging for second place they need to win this game.