SCOTLAND are so close to Euro 2024 the Tartan Army can almost smell the beer in Germany but they need a point against a resurgent Spain side in Seville to rubber-stamp their place at the finals.
The Spaniards are out for revenge after crashing to a 2-0 loss at Hampden in March and their response since that dismal display has been impressive, with Luis de la Fuente's side seeing off Italy and Croatia to win the Nations League before smashing 13 goals in two games against Georgia and Cyprus.
But Spain are still playing catch up in Group A, with the Scots boasting a perfect record so far with five wins from five. Following up that epic Hampden win with a 2-1 victory away to Norway put Steve Clarke's men in pole position but fans conditioned to decades of failure still thought Scotland would find a way to mess it up.
This squad looks made of stronger stuff though and the Scots survived a Hampden deluge to defeat Georgia before strolling to a 3-0 victory in Cyprus as Scott McTominay's early opener brought up a bet for our man Mark.
That accomplished display had fans full of confidence ahead of a friendly with England in Glasgow but that challenge match for the SFA's 150th anniversary acted as a reality check at the Three Lions eased to a 3-1 win. Harry Kane grabbed the clincher for Gareth Southgate's men and that brought up one of my bets.
That showed Scotland still remain a fair bit behind Europe's elite and shackling a free-scoring Spanish side in Seville will prove much tougher than toppling them on home soil.
How the bookies view it
It's no surprise to see Spain as heavy favourites after their recent resurgence and their best price is just 2/7 at William Hill. Scotland are as big as 11/1 for a win at Ladbrokes while the draw they need is priced 5/1 by Bet365.
Head to head
That shock Hampden victory continued Scotland's impressive record against Spain, who now only just edge the head to head. The Spanish have six victories, while the Scots have beaten them five times, with the other two meetings ending in draws.
Scotland have only won twice on the road against the Spanish but inflicted La Rioja's heaviest ever home defeat with a 6-2 victory in 1963.
Players to watch
Alvaro Morata scored a hat-trick for Spain in their 7-1 rout of Georgia and has also been in good form for Atletico Madrid, scoring twice in the derby and grabbing another double against Feyenoord in the Champions League. The experienced striker is just 5/6 with Bet365 for anytime scorer but backing him to break the deadlock pays 3/1 with the same firm.
Scott McTominay has been a goal machine for Scotland in Euro qualifying, netting six times from midfield. He comes into this game on a high after a matchwinning double for Manchester United and is 15/2 at Paddy Power for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
It will be backs against the wall for Scotland in Seville and parking the bus might be Clarke's best chance of getting the point he needs. That makes a Spanish win to nil appealing at evens with BetVictor.
This match could get pretty spicy after Rodri took a pop at Scotland in the wake of Spain's defeat in Glasgow. I'd imagine a few tackles will be flying in the midfield so it could pay to back a busy night for the referee. Rodri looks a bit overpriced at 4/1 with Unibet for a card but it's probably safer backing Scotland players, with John McGinn 15/8 at Paddy Power and Callum McGregor a tempting 6/1 at Unibet.
With Scotland sitting back, I wouldn't be surprised to see De la Fuente's side rack up plenty of corners. Spain -3 in the corner handicap pays 21/20 at Bet365 while over 5.5 home corners pays 5/6 with the same firm.
This Euro 2024 match between Spain and Scotland will be played on Oct 12, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Spain vs Scotland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
