SCOTLAND UNDER 21s play their second game in their Euro 2023 qualifiers on Thursday when Denmark visit Tynecastle.
Scot Gemmill's charges gained a very credible 1-1 draw in Bursa in their opening qualifier with Turkey considering they were without 12 English-based players.
But they were dealt a major blow when key full backs Aaron Hickey and Calvin Ramsay were both ruled out through injury. Hickey became the youngest Scot to score in Serie A for 35 years and netted his second goal for Bologna at the weekend.
And Ramsay has been Aberdeen's best player by a country mile so far this season.
They are up against a Pot One team though who went to Kazakhstan and won 1-0 and the Danes are packed with kids at big clubs like Ajax, Torino, Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt star Jesper Lindstrom, who was part of the a side who beat Bayern Munich at the weekend.
However, Gemmill has plenty of play with too. The young Scots have players at Manchester City, Liverpool and West Ham back in the squad, although they do look light up front.
How the bookies view it
Denmark are favourites in the capital at 7/5 with McBookie.com. Scotland are 17/10 with bet365 to win and the same firm has the draw priced up at 9/4.
Recent head to head
Scotland and Denmark have never met at this level. Here's the highlights of Scotland's 1-1 draw in Turkey last month with a depleted squad.
Players to watch
Glenn Middleton scored in Turkey and could easily have had a hat-trick that night. He is the oldest player in the entire qualifiers because he was born on January 1, 2000 making him eligible for a third Under 21s campaign by a day. And this will be his 50th appearance for a Scotland youth team.
Gustav Isaksen is the top scorer for the Danes with three goals in ten appearances and the 20-year-old FC Midtjylland playmakler is a danger.
Anything else catch the eye?
Scotland are not a bad side at this level and can spring a surprise here. They have players like Josh Doig, Stephen Welsh and Middleton, who will be supplemented this time by highly-rated English-based players like Harrison Ashby and Lewis Fiorini as well as Manchester City keeper Ciaran Slicker.
They should have won in Turkey with a squad with no English-based players and are up against a side who struggled to win in Kazakhstan against ten men.
The young Scots have bloodied Pot One seeds Croatia and also beat the Dutch home and away in the last two campaigns. Gemmill has a decent track record against bigger teams, having led his young Scots to wins over France and Brazil too.
It might not be a classic, but there could be value in a win for the Scots, as well as a low-scoring affair
This match between Scotland Under 21s and Denmark Under 21s will be played on Oct 7, 2021 and kick off at 19:05. Check below for our tipsters best Scotland Under 21s vs Denmark Under 21s prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.