Scotland v Wales: Strachan can inspire Tartan victory

 

Ahead of Friday's Celtic clash between Scotland and Wales, Christian Crowther takes a look at history, form and squad selections to get a grip on the betting...

 

Gordon Strachan will make his competitive debut as Scotland boss at Hampden Park against Wales, though the ex-Celtic manager can only wish there had been more at stake than British pride.

 

A campaign which promised Tartan Army followers much optimism before a ball was kicked has since unravelled into a nightmare for Scotland as they find themselves bottom of Group A, the only team without a victory on two points.

 

Meanwhile, Welsh hopes were always going to be pinned on the outrageous talents of Gareth Bale.

 

And although the Tottenham wonder has delivered all three Wales goals - including the two which downed Scotland in Cardiff - the 11 they've shipped over the four qualifiers, tells the story of three other convincing defeats, including a 6-1 hiding at the hands of Serbia.

 

So what can punters expect from this Group A basement battle?

 

History

 

A cursory glance at recent encounters between these nations suggests Wales' price of 4.9 may be a little generous. Wales have won four of the last five meetings between the countries, albeit three of those triumphs came on home Welsh soil - the latest arriving last October. However, the closeness of the last game in Cardiff combined with a resounding 3-1 Scotland win in Dublin in a 2011 Carling Nations Cup match offers plenty to suggest that this will be highly competitive. One thing never in short supply has been goals. Every one of the last four encounters has gone north of the 2.5 mark, while two of those breached the 3.5 goals line - over 2.5 goals is available to back at 2.2.

 

Form

 

Given the general lack of international matches and room for experimentation in friendlies, form in its purest sense is sometimes a little hard to gauge. Since losing to Wales, Scotland have won both friendly games, though when the opposition consists of Luxembourg and Estonia, you'd expect the Scots to take the honours. Meanwhile, better clues may be found in Wales' dismal away form. The Welsh have lost four of their last five games on the road (in friendlies and qualifiers), with their last away win arriving in Bulgaria in October 2011.

 

Squads

 

Wales certainly have the slimmer pickings and Chris Coleman will not have been happy to receive the news that Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen will now miss both his side's qualifiers to go under the knife. Allen was certain to start in the Wales' midfield and, alongside Bale and Aaron Ramsey, provides real quality, and his absence could have a big bearing on the result. Bale is certain to be the main threat as he would be for any side, barring perhaps Barcelona, and is available at 3.0 to notch anytime at Hampden. Meanwhile Scotland, in comparison, enjoy genuine riches in terms of available Premier League and SPL performers; it's more a question of who Strachan will select and in what formation. Strachan will have the likes of Premier League stars Shaun Maloney, Steven Naismith, James Morrison, Charlie Adam, Robert Snodgrass and Steven Fletcher at his disposal. Given all these players will be trying to impress the new boss, you'd expect a big performance from the Scots and a win can be backed at 1.84.

 

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