THIS trip to the Czech Republic will be Scotland's strangest fixture since the infamous “One Team In Tallin” clash with Estonia back in 1996.
While the opposition should actually turn up this time, nobody is quite sure what kind of Czech side will actually take part after a coronavirus outbreak wreaked havoc with their squad.
The Czechs initially claimed the game would be abandoned after Tomas Soucek and Patrik Schick came into contact with a staff member who had tested positive for Covid-19.
But they then announced a team with “new players and staff” would instead face the Scots in Olomouc after UEFA revealed the match would go ahead as planned.
That hands Steve Clarke's men a huge advantage and the chance to revive their Nations League hopes after a dreary draw with Israel in their Hampden opener on Friday night.
However, if they repeat that lifeless performance then Scotland might even struggle to get a result against a shadow Czech side, no matter who is drafted in.
Without star men Soucek and Schick, the Czech Republic still managed to win 3-1 in Slovakia on Friday so they have plenty of talent in reserve.
But none of those players can face Scots and they can't call on stars from Slavia Prague or Viktoria Plzen so it's rumoured some Under-20 players may have to fill the void.
How the bookies view it
The strange circumstances surrounding this tie have left the bookies baffled, with Betfair exchange the only place you could find bets up until a few hours before kick-off. Markets are now finally available, with Scotland a best 4/6 to win at Boylesports, the Czechs as big as 5/1 at Skybet and the draw 3/1 with the same firm.
Head to head
The Czech Republic have the edge in the head to head, winning four of the seven meetings and losing just twice. But Scotland won on their last visit in 2016, Ikechi Anya sealing a 1-0 friendly triumph (below).
The Scots have yet to win a competitive game against the Czechs since their independence and the last meaningful game in Prague ended in a 1-0 defeat as Craig Levein went down in infamy for his 4-6-0 formation.
Players to watch
Lyndon Dykes was one of the few positives for Scotland against the Israelis as he impressed on his debut. The QPR new boy should be handed another chance to shine and is a generous 7/2 with Unibet for anytime scorer.
Mr Fixit tipped James Forrest to score against Israel but it was Celtic team-mate Ryan Christie who scored from the spot. He should remain on penalties and is worth considering at 22/5 with Unibet for another goal here.
Anything else catch the eye?
Chances were thin on the ground against Israel and the Scots looked seriously short of ideas going forward. Even with the Czechs severely weakened, I'd be surprised if we saw a lot of goals so try under 2.5 strikes, which is 19/20 at Betfair and 4/5 at 888Sport. Betting against both teams scoring could also pay off at 10/11 with Paddy Power.
Betfred were offering 20/21 on Clarke's side scoring first and that was good value but the price has now dropped to 4/9.
This UEFA Nations League match between Czech Republic and Scotland will be played on Sep 7, 2020 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Czech Republic vs Scotland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
