Croatia vs. Scotland Predictions: Over 2.5 goals the key bet

A tie does nothing for either side later this afternoon so our man Neil Monnery likes the over 2.5 goals as part of his Croatia vs. Scotland betting preview...

Location: Glasgow, Scotland

Date: Tuesday, June 22

Kick Off Time: 3PM ET

TV: ESPN2

Fans of Scotland and Croatia come into this game feeling two very different emotions. The Scots are coming off the back of a 0-0 draw at Wembley Stadium against their auld enemy England. In all honesty they were the better team and if either side were going to come away with the victory, it would have been Steve Clarke’s men. Supporters were jubilant and for the tournament, it means that victory over Croatia would see them move on to the knockout stage.

As for Croatia, they too are assured of progression should they win but they come into the game off of a frustrating draw with the Czech Republic. A tough penalty award against them gave the Czech’s the lead in the first half before Ivan Perisic leveled it up early in the second half. Defeat in their opening game against England was also disappointing. So it is fair to say the two sides can both still quality but one set of players are certainly in a better place than the other.

One player however who won’t be basking in the glow of Friday night is young Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour. The 20 year-old made his first appearance in the starting XI for his national side on Friday night and bossed the midfield up against established EPL players in the form of Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips. He has tested positive for Covid-19 and will now undergo a mandatory ten-day isolation period. This issue should be watched closely before the game in case any other players test positive in the final hours before kick-off.

That will be a big miss for the Scots. The performance of Che Adams on Friday was also another strong aspect of their game. The Southampton striker gave Tyrone Mings and John Stones all that they could handle. Expect him to start once more and at +300 to score anytime with BetMGM and Borgata - he is the shortest price for any Scotsman to hit the back of the net later today.

It should be noted that the tie does nothing for either side. A point a piece would see both teams fail to qualify so if this game is level late - expect both teams to just go gung ho and attack, attack, attack. This is why I like the over 2.5 goals (best priced -103 with Unibet and SugarHouse at the time of writing).

Picks: I would dabble on the Moneyline for Scotland but at +200 - I think that is a tad too short so it is two prop bets.

Che Adams to score anytime at +300 along with Over 2.5 goals at -103.