Prediction: Scotland vs Finland

Verdict: Total goals under 2.5

Best odds: 8/9

Bookmaker: BetUS

Scotland will end their preparations for Euro 2024 by hosting Finland in an international friendly on Friday night at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

While the home side are gearing up for their trip to Germany, this match serves as Finland’s final fixture before the UEFA Nations League begins in September.

Scotland

After taking nearly an hour to break the deadlock against Gibraltar, Scotland inevitably faced criticism.

On a seven-match winless streak, the Tartan Army entered the match not in their best form but hoping for a convincing performance ahead of this game and the upcoming tournament.

From Steve Clarke’s perspective, he quickly defended his players, suggesting they were “spooked” by the injury to Lyndon Dykes, which ruled him out of Euro 2024.

The number of players missing the competition has since grown to five, with Liverpool winger Ben Doak the latest to withdraw, replaced by Tommy Conway.

While playing at Hampden Park has not been frequent for Scotland recently, it has been almost a year since their last home win, a 2-0 victory against Georgia.

Team News

Ross McCrorie, Ryan Porteous, John McGinn, and Lawrence Shankland all played the full 90 minutes against Gibraltar and will likely drop to the substitutes’ bench for this match.

Anthony Ralston, Scott McKenna, Callum McGregor, and Che Adams are all in contention to start, with Kieran Tierney potentially replacing Andrew Robertson.

Goalkeeper Angus Gunn may get the nod between the sticks, while John Souttar, Scott McTominay, and Stuart Armstrong could see action in the second half after missing the game against Gibraltar.

Finland

Scotland head into this contest defending an eight-match unbeaten record against Finland, though they have not faced the Scandinavian nation since 1998. However, this Finland side feels stronger than the one Scotland faced 26 years ago, even though Markku Kanerva’s team missed out on Euro 2024.

The Eagle-Owls’ hopes for a second consecutive European Championship appearance were dashed with a 4-1 loss to Wales in the play-off semifinals back in March.

Since then, Finland secured a 2-1 win against Estonia and put up a strong fight against Portugal earlier this week, eventually losing 4-2.

Overall, though, Finland have lost five of their last eight games, with one of their three victories coming against minnows San Marino.

On the other hand, their recent 4-0 win over Northern Ireland in November will have been noted by their upcoming opponents.

Team News

While Finland may make fewer alterations to their side, veteran Teemu Pukki can expect to start as the main attacking threat after scoring two goals against Portugal.

Leo Vaisanen and Robin Lod, two other players who play in MLS, could also return to bolster the back line and the middle of the park, respectively.

Conclusion

Having put up a strong performance against Portugal on Tuesday night, Finland will feel they have some momentum heading into this contest. However, motivated to head to Germany with a boost of their own, Scotland are likely to win this contest, though not by much. One goal could prove enough to settle it.

Verdict: Total goals under 2.5

Best odds: 8/9

Bookmaker: BetUS