IT'S been a rollercoaster watching Scotland not just for the past week but for the last 22 years.
Steve Clarke's men defied expectations by reaching Euro 2020 but followed a dramatic night in Serbia with defeat in Slovakia.
That ended our nine-game unbeaten run and means we must beat Israel on Wednesday to guarantee top spot in Group B2 – although in reality we simply have to match the Czechs' result against Slovakia. If they lose we can lose and still be promoted to the top sections.
Clarke made eight changes against the Slovaks but will welcome back some key men and most notably Lyndon Dykes who gave the Serbs a torrid time.
Dykes now seems as crucial to the Scots as skipper Andy Robertson, who is a major doubt, and I'm backing us to get the job done against a side who always seem to make it difficult to us. If Robbo is out I assume Clarke will simply move Kieran Tierney over to left-back to replace him.
In four meetings over the past two years between the teams there have been two draws and one-goal wins for both sides.
The fairground ride can end on a high – for Baccara as well as the team – with Scotland winning at 9-5 with McBookie against a side fighting relegation to spark another surge on sales of Yes Sir I Can Boogie. A draw can't be ruled out at 23-10 while the Israelis are 6-4.
QPR striker Dykes is 11-2 with McBookie to score first and 21-10 to net at any time.
I tipped Ryan Christie to net against the Serbs and he is 13-2 to break the deadlock and 5-2 to strike again.
Eran Zahavi is the man to watch in the opposition ranks and is 9-5 at Ladbrokes to grab his sixth goal of the campaign.
Elsewhere take the Czechs at around 1-2 to win and force us to pick three points in our quest for glory.
Super Single
- Dykes to score first
- (11-2, McBookie)
Daily Double
- Czech Rep
- Scotland dnb
- (2-1, McBookie)
Resident football tipster at Scotland's most read newspaper, the Daily Record, for over 20 years and proud host of one the best betting communities on the web with daily betting tips.
