SCOTLAND resume their Nations League campaign with a Hampden showdown against the war-torn nation of Ukraine, who broke their hearts in June.
Steve Clarke's men are a point behind group leaders Ukraine, but have to face them home and away with the Ukrainians ‘home' game against the Scots being played in Krakow in Poland.
The match will being back painful memories for the Tartan Army after a truly horrific and puzzlingly flat display in the World Cup semi-finals play-offs saw Ukraine run out comfortable and thoroughly deserved 3-1 winners.
That match completely knocked the stuffing out of the momentum that Scotland had been building and for the first time, serious question marks surrounded Clarke, his tactics and his motivation. A dreadful and disgraceful 3-0 defeat in Dublin a few days later worsened the mood.
If he hasn't learned from that chastising defeat then they will grow further. This Ukraine team are full of talented individuals who well and truly had the measure of the Scots.
However, Ukraine have serious injury problems – they will be without the injured trio of Bruge defender Eduard Sobol, Dynamo Kyiv star Mykola Shaparenko and keeper Heorhiy Bushchan while Arsenal ace Oleksandr Zinchenko is both suspended and injured.
A win would put the Scots top of the group and while it would go nowhere near easing the summer heartache, it would be a step in the right direction.
⚽️ John McGinn to score from outside the penalty area 12/1 (was 9/1). Claim here.
(Bet up to £10. Available Online & In Shop for Plus customers. Other terms apply.)
How the bookies view it
Scotland can be backed at 8/5 with SBK, with Ukraine at 2/1 with McBookie.com. The draw is 11/5 with bet365.
Recent head to heads
Ukraine were far too good for an insipid Scotland at Hampden in June as stated and they cruised to a shock 3-1 win despite being crammed full of players who hadn't kicked a competitive ball for months.
Previously, Scotland beat Ukraine 3-1 and lost in Kyiv 2-0 for the Euro 2008 qualifiers.
Players to watch
Che Adams broke an international goal drought by scoring in Armenia in Scotland's last game – a 4-1 success in Yerevan for his fifth goal in 19 games for his country. The Southampton striker has scored four goals for the Saints so far this season and is 23/10 with McBookie.com.
Roman Yaremchuk scored at Hampden when the sides met in June and the Brugges striker has 13 goals for his country. He is 5/2 with Paddy Power to net in Glasgow.
Anything else catch the eye?
Nothing other than a win will do it for Scotland and provided they have learned from that Hampden disaster, they can get back on track here with a win against the injury-weakened Ukrainians who will have lost their previous element of surprise and with who fatigue may be catching up.
As bad as the performances against Ukraine and Ireland were, the Scots do appear to be heading generally in the right direction and can gain a measure of revenge.
Scotland are usually good for corners – in their last four games they have won five, seven twice and nine in Dublin. There were 11 in the last meeting between the teams in June so bet365's 6/5 for over just 9.5 corners looks a generous shout indeed.
This UEFA Nations League match between Scotland and Ukraine will be played on Sep 21, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Scotland vs Ukraine prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.