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There are three World Cup spots yet to be determined and one of those belongs to Europe. Wales awaits the winner of Wednesday’s Ukraine-Scotland game for a spot in the World Cup. There will be extra eyes on these games in the United States as the winner of the UEFA Playoff spot will be in the USA’s group and will be their first opponent in Qatar. It’s been a while since either of these teams has been in the World Cup. Ukraine, which has only been a member of FIFA since 1992, only appeared in the event once in 2006. Scotland was a regular World Cup participant in the 20th century, but have yet to appear in the event in this one.
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Scotland vs Ukraine Odds
Moneyline
Ukraine +240 | Scotland +130 | Draw +200
Spread
Ukraine +1 (-175) | Scotland -1 (+390)
Total
Over 2.5 (+152) | Under 2.5 (-186)
Scotland vs Ukraine Moneyline Prediction
Scotland has an advantage in the game getting to play on home soil at Hampden Park in Glasgow. Scotland were unbeaten at home during qualification with four wins and one draw. Three of those wins were against teams they should’ve beaten (Israel, Moldova, Faroe Islands) and one win was against Denmark who had already secured qualification to the World Cup at that point. They drew 2-2 with Austria in the opening fixture of group play. As for Ukraine, this is going to be a heavy narrative game for the visitors. Ukraine is playing for the pride of an entire, war-torn country and the weight of that could lift the visitors or bury them. Ukraine was unbeaten in group play, but they took six draws in eight games. These aren’t teams with a ton of firepower and given the stakes of things, it’s fair to expect a tight game. A note on betting this, extra time and penalties kicks are in play, but if you bet the three-way market, the game is graded after 90 minutes so if it does go to extra time, the game will be graded as a draw on the three-way market. Check your books to see the rules for any bet you want to make to verify the rules.
Pick: Draw +200
Scotland vs Ukraine Total Prediction
This game SCREAMS under. Scotland scored 17 goals and allowed just seven in ten qualifying matches. Ukraine scored 11 and allowed 8 in eight qualifying matches. Ukraine showed some scoring punch in the Euros whereas Scotland didn’t only scoring one goal across three games. Both teams have players who can put the ball in the back of the net, but neither has that one talismanic goal scorer who can put a team on their back. In a weird coincidence or twist, of Ukraine’s six draws in qualifying five of them ended with a 1-1 scoreline. There isn’t a ton of value on an under here because it’s so juicy, but it’s still probably the right side. Explore some alt markets to see if anything floats your boat in that department.
Pick: Under 2.5 (-186)
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