BOTH Scotland and Spain will be looking to follow up on opening day victories in Euro 2024 qualifying when they lock horns at Hampden Park on Tuesday night.
Steve Clarke's side kicked off their campaign by putting in a professional performance as they claimed a 3-0 win over Cyprus on Saturday, on an afternoon where our man Mark Walker delivered another profitable match preview.
Although Scotland have already guaranteed themselves a crack at the playoffs regardless of how their fare in Group A, they will be keen to stamp their ticket to next summer's showpiece by securing top two finish in this section.
The Tartan Army will face an early acid test of those table-topping aspirations when star-studded Spain come to town this midweek.
Luis de la Fuente's tenure as Spain boss got off to the perfect start as his side secured a 3-0 win over Norway on Saturday night, with my main wager in Malaga landing in the process.
That victory propelled La Roja to the top of the section and they will now look to cement their place at the summit by playing the role of party poopers in front of a passionate home crowd.
Outright Betting
Scotland haven't toppled Spain since 1984 and the bookies' odds suggest that long wait will continue, with a home win trading at 9/2 (Bet 365) while a point apiece is also deemed improbable at 14/5 (SBK).
Spain, who came out on top in a 3-2 thriller when they last visited Hampden in 2010, make the trip to Mount Florida this time around as 7/10 (UniBet) favourites.
Betting Angles
It's hard not to be tempted by getting Spain onside here but I'm instead going to dip into the Asian goal line where we can see it set at 2.0, 2.5, with the overs looking like an enticing alternative at 5/6 (Bet 365).
Here we would only lose our full stake if there are zero or one goals scored in the game and that makes plenty of appeal given that an entertaining encounter could be in the offing at Hampden.
There is much more of a positive feel good factor about Scotland under Steve Clarke's stewardship in contrast to the gloom of years gone by and the hosts a have more than enough talent to bloody Spain's nose with a raucous Glasgow crowd behind them on Tuesday night
In fact, Scotland have fired a bank in just three of their 22 home matches under Clarke's guidance, so they will fancy their chances of landing a blow against a La Roja side who afforded Norway a number of gilt-edged opportunities to score on Saturday night.
That being said, the Tartan Army's chances of keeping Spain at bay for the entire game are very slim indeed, and that is evidenced by the fact that the visitors have only failed to score once in each of their last 26 matches in all competitions.
With all that in mind, coupled with the fact that this bet would have paid out in five of Scotland's last six competitive contests, I'm more than happy to side with Over 2.0, 2.5 goals on the Asian line at an appetising price.
I'll also head to the player card market where Scotland's Ryan Porteous looks worthy of interest to have his name taken at 4/1 (UniBet).
The former Hibs defender – who was carded against Cyprus on Saturday – is no stranger to referees' notebooks and he should have his hands full here against what is a technically gifted Spanish team.
This Euro 2024 match between Scotland and Spain will be played on Mar 28, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Scotland vs Spain prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
