Football betting tips: Nations League
2pts Over 5.5 Scotland shots on target at 17/10 (BOYLE Sports)
Scotland earned their first victory of the Sébastien Pocognoli era in North Macedonia on Saturday evening, a result which once again showed the potential of this side - albeit with another frustrating red card.
Two of their three Nations League contests in this international break have been pleasing to see in terms of possessing a clear attacking approach. The defeat to Switzerland saw any potential game plan thrown out the window following Jack Hendry's red card just 11 minutes in.
The draw in Slovenia delivered a second-half performance which deserved victory. Should they repeat that in front of a home crowd, maximum points will more than likely follow.
The bookmakers have Scotland at a general 3/4 for success here and I wouldn't put anyone off including that in their Tuesday accumulators.
It was originally going to be the straightforward selection of this preview. We can sometimes fall into the trap of overthinking it and the obvious pick is the correct one - a bit like backing England for a win on Croatia at the weekend - but there is value in the stats markets here.
OVER 5.5 SCOTLAND SHOTS ON TARGET comes in at a best price of 17/10, with around 6/4 and above available elsewhere.
That win in North Macedonia brought back my confidence in the new Scotland era. We were expecting attacking football and that's what we've been given. It also reaffirmed that belief that the Switzerland game truly was affected by the early sending off.
On Matchday 3 of the Nations League spanning the previous weekend, no side returned more shots on target (10) than Scotland too.
They had five in that recent meeting with Slovenia, all of which came in the second half. Had they not put in a lacklustre first 45 minutes this would have been a winner in the contest.
It's a combination of Scotland facing an opponent who they posted 17 shots against less than two weeks ago and returning to a home crowd 'owed' an entertaining showing given the way the Switzerland contest played out.
And Slovenia conceded six shots on target (13 total) away in Switzerland last time out. North Macedonia - who have demonstrated they are clearly the worst side in the group - returned nine shots in Slovenia a week ago but only one of those troubled the goalkeeper.
I've been stung twice by Scotland in this international break. The reverse fixture failed to return three or more goals despite Scotland's best efforts and that Switzerland game, as discussed, halted any real chance the hosts had.
But I've seen enough in the early stages of Pocognoli's spell to believe this will be third time lucky.
Odds correct at 11:55 BST (05/10/26)
More from Sporting Life
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.
