Football betting tips: World Cup qualifiers
1pt Scott McTominay to score anytime at 8/5 (Coral, Ladbrokes)
1pt Che Adams to score anytime at 13/10 (Coral, Ladbrokes)
One of the things that makes this game so brilliant is that occasionally, it just makes no sense whatsoever.
Scotland's hopes of reaching a first World Cup since 1998 ought to be hanging by a thread. Instead, they're within touching distance of guaranteeing a play-off place. They also now have a great chance of winning Group C, and ending their 28-year wait without the need for two agonising legs of knockout football.
Steve Clarke's side were battered by Greece at Hampden on Thursday but somehow won 3-1; though I'm not sure their own rope-a-dope imitation was as deliberate as Homer Simpson's unique boxing tactic that took him to the verge of heavyweight glory.
Scotland vs Greece Highlights pic.twitter.com/dxtN6Ejr5o
β ππππ (@_DIGB) October 9, 2025
Having missed an open goal, hit the bar, been denied superbly by Angus Gunn and stayed camped in the Scotland half for 62 minutes, Greece eventually scored.
But almost straight from kick-off, Ryan Christie equalised. Lewis Ferguson struck with 10 minutes remaining and Lyndon Dykes made sure in stoppage time.
Now, only kept off the top of Group C by Denmark's superior goal difference, they host a Belarus team with no points and a -12 goal differences after three games.
Victory combined with defeat for Greece in Denmark would ensure a play-off place at a minimum.
Scotland then face the group's two stronger sides in their final pair of matches with a huge opportunity to reach North America.
One man who will be crucial to their chances is SCOTT MCTOMINAY.
I'm still getting over the egregious injustice of him not lifting this year's Ballon d'Or, but I'm sure the world's 18th best player can use it as motivation to help his country take a huge step towards World Cup qualification.
Ranked at the 18th place for the 2025 Men's Ballon d'Or!
β Ballon d'Or (@ballondor) September 22, 2025
Scott McTominay@sscnapoli@ScotlandNT#ballondor pic.twitter.com/Ub3CCN4I5g
McTominay's 8/5 price TO SCORE ANYTIME should be backed.
His prolific international form may have dropped off but that is only since Scotland started playing higher quality opposition on a more regular basis, first at Euro 2024 and then in the top division of the Nations League.
Against a minnow we can expect him to have plenty of chances, with the Napoli midfielder having three attempts in the reverse fixture as Belarus were beaten 2-0, all from inside the box, totalling 0.46 xG.
This bet is also helped by McTominay being Scotland's designated penalty taker.
CHE ADAMS is another of Scotland's growing Italian-based contingent that Steve Clarke is building his team around.
Since the former Southampton striker joined Torino he has established himself as first choice for the national side. Adams scored a hat-trick in the 4-0 away win over Liechtenstein in the summer and was on the scoresheet again in the reverse fixture with Belarus.
He looks overpriced at 13/10 TO SCORE ANYTIME.
The Tartan Army are 1/10 to beat a team already thrashed 5-1 and 6-0 by Greece and Denmark respectively, and this is a sensible way to get them onside.
Odds correct at 1440 BST (10/10/25)
More from Sporting Life
- Fixtures, results and live scores
- Home of This Week's Acca
- Football and other sports tips
- Download the Sporting Life app
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
