A WORLD CUP play-off place is so close that Scotland can almost reach out and grab it – with victory in Moldova all that's needed to secure second spot in Group F.
But the boys in blue have previous when it comes to messing it up in Eastern European outposts so the Tartan Army are more than a little wary ahead of the trip to Chisinau.
A win in Slovenia would have booked a play-off slot for the last World Cup in Russia but Gordon Strachan's side could only manage a 2-2 draw despite taking the lead in Ljubljana.
And that came after two defeats in Georgia effectively ruined Scotland's bid to reach the Euro 2008 and Euro 2016 finals, undoing all their good work earlier in the section.
The good news for Steve Clarke and his players is that Moldova are nowhere near as dangerous as Georgia and Slovenia, with the minnows propping up the group after taking just one point from eight games.
But it only ended 1-0 to Scotland when these sides met at Hampden and Clarke's side also needed a late goal from Lyndon Dykes to see off the Faroe Islands on their last road trip.
That suggests it will be another nerve-shredding watch for the Tartan Army as they dream of a first trip to the World Cup since France 98.
How the bookies view it
The bookies fancy Scotland to get the job done in Chisinau and they are a best 1/4 with 888Sport for the victory they crave. Moldova are as big as 20/1 with Bet365 while the draw pays 26/5 at SBK.
Head to head
These nations have met just three times and Scotland are unbeaten, with that 1-0 Hampden triumph (below) making it two wins a row. But the only game played on Moldovan soil ended in a 1-1 draw back in 2004, a result that led to Berti Vogts being booted out.
Players to watch
Dykes has been Scotland's main man in recent games and his Hampden strike against Israel was one of six tips that came up for me that day. But the QPR striker is suspended for this one, as is Bournemouth forward Ryan Christie. That means the burden will fall on Southampton's Che Adams and he looks decent value at 11/10 for anytime scorer.
Moldova have scored just four times in the group and Ion Nicolaescu has netted two of them. The Dunajska Streda striker looks their best bet for a goal here and is 11/2 with SportNation.
Anything else catch the eye?
Backing a Scotland win to nil paid off for me in the clash against the Faroes and this could be a similar kind of game. But that bet isn't great value this time and pays a best 31/40 with BetVictor.
Given that Clarke's side only beat Moldova 1-0 in Glasgow and saw off the Faroes by the same margin away from home, betting against goals looks the way to go. Under 2.5 goals is priced 11/10 at SBK and that looks great value.
With Moldova likely to sit deep, Scotland could rack up the corners as they bid to break down their defence. Backing Clarke's side in the corner markets could pay off and over 5.5 Scots corners pays 17/20 at McBookie.
Moldova should be on the back foot for most of the match and betting on cards for their defenders is another decent option. Veaceslav Posmac has two yellows and a red from his last 10 caps and appeals at 5/1 with Bet365 for a card here.
This World Cup match between Moldova and Scotland will be played on Nov 12, 2021 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Moldova vs Scotland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
