Scotland take on Ukraine in World Cup qualifying on Wednesday night and Tom Carnduff has found value in backing a goalscorer.
Football betting tips: World Cup qualifying
1pt Oleksandr Zinchenko to score anytime at 14/1 (Betfair, Paddy Power)
Wales' success over Austria means that they await the winner of Scotland's tie with Ukraine on Wednesday night. The winner of that 'final' will secure a spot at the World Cup later this year.
This game was scheduled to take place in March but was pushed back to June due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Football has, understandably, taken a back seat and they haven't played a competitive fixture since November 2021.
However, this is a squad containing some good level professional players and they have been featuring for their club sides across the past few months. It's difficult to know what to expect in Glasgow - both teams are good enough to progress to the next stage.
Kick-off time: 19:45 BST, Wednesday
TV channel: Sky Sports Football
Scotland 5/4 | Draw 21/10 | Ukraine 12/5
The outright odds make Scotland favourites with the home advantage but looking around the markets provides some interest elsewhere. While it may not be a high-scoring game, there is one goalscorer that is well worth a play at the prices available.
At 14/1, the best bet in this one comes in backing OLEKSANDR ZINCHENKO TO SCORE ANYTIME. He has definitely been priced up as a left-back here but we should see him further forward.
While he is a full-back for Manchester City, Zinchenko lines up in midfield for his country. That led to him scoring in their last competitive fixture - a 2-0 away win over Bosnia in World Cup qualifying.
His position on the pitch is highlighted in the shots statistics. Over the last five World Cup qualifiers, Zinchenko has had a total of 12 shots. Three of those games saw him take three or more.
Even if he lines up on the left side, in what could be a back-three system, he can still find the back of the net. Zinchenko scored against Sweden with his only shot of the game in their Euro 2020 round of 16 meeting.
Scotland conceded an average of 9.6 shots per game in qualifying. However, that is affected by games against the likes of Faroe Islands and Moldova. The visitors should hit double figures on this count.
With the prices available, it's well worth backing ZINCHENKO to score on Wednesday night.
Scotland v Ukraine best bets and score prediction
- 1pt Oleksandr Zinchenko to score anytime at 14/1 (Betfair, Paddy Power)
Score prediction: Scotland 1-1 Ukraine (Sky Bet odds: 5/1)
Odds correct at 1200 BST (30/05/22)
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