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Euro 2024 qualifier: Scotland vs Cyprus verdict, predicted score, key stats and suggested bets

Steve Clarke will lead Scotland into Euro 2024 qualifying against Cyprus - the side he started his Scotland tenure against in 2019. Check out our key stats, predicted score and suggested bets.

Date, KO time and TV coverage

European Championship qualifier, Group A, Saturday, March 25, Kick-off 2pm, live on Viaplay Sports 1

Predicted score

Scotland 2-1 Cyprus

Suggested bets

Scotland vs Cyprus BTTS, yes

Key stats

Scotland have lost three of last eight games
Scotland have beaten Cyprus 2-1 in the last four meetings between the sides
Cyprus have won just two of their last eight games

Previous meetings

EC: Cyprus 1-2 Scotland, November 2019
EC: Scotland 2-1 Cyprus, June 2019
Fr: Cyprus 1-2 Scotland, November 2011
WC: Scotland 2-1 Cyprus, April 1989
WC: Cyprus 2-3 Scotland, February 1989

Team news

Craig Gordon is absent so Angus Gunn is in line to start after being drafted into the squad.
Scott McKenna is also injured. Ryan Jack and Callum McGregor will likely start in midfield.
Lyndon Dykes started up front in the defeat to Turkey and he is fit, while Nathan Patterson, Aaron Hickey and Andy Robertson are both fit.

Recent form

Scotland lost 2-1 in Turkey last time out (Nov)
Cyprus won 3-2 in Israel last time out (Nov)

What has been said?

Lyndon Dykes talking about qualifying for Euro 2024: "It was tough watching the World Cup. After us going to the 2020 Euros and being involved in that, everything that we are not involved in is going to hurt.
"We all want to play in major tournaments. We have to keep building together to make sure when these opportunities come up, we don't miss out.
"The last thing we want to do is sit at home watching the games on television thinking we should be there, so we need to make sure we are focused and ready.

Verdict

Scotland start their road to the Euro 2024 finals with a double header at Hampden, starting with the visit of Cyprus before Spain arrive in Glasgow on Tuesday.

Oliver Burke's 89th-minute strike earned Steve Clarke a 2-1 victory over Cyprus in June 2019 in his first game as Scotland manager.
It was a game watched by just 31,277 fans inside Hampden that day but the ground will be close to its 52,000 capacity on Saturday. That progress will mean very little though if the Scots fail to sink a Cyprus side, who are quoted at 12/1.
Historically this is a fixture in which Scotland get the job done. They have beaten Cyprus in all of their previous seven meetings and the last four results have seen the Scots win 2-1.
A repeat of that scoreline is very much a possibility with Cyprus netting in their last three games against Kosovo, Northern Ireland and Israel.
The 2-2 draw in Belfast against another home nation is worth taking a look at because there was some calamitous defending on show and Cyprus have kept a clean sheet just once in six games.
Scotland will surely have enough to breach the visitors' rearguard more than once. But Cyprus were clinical against Northern Ireland, scoring from their only two shots on target.
They surrendered possession at Windsor Park and were denied a famous Nations League win by Jonny Evans' last-minute leveller.
The 110th-ranked Cypriots have since won 3-2 in Israel, who were 34 places above them in the FIFA rankings and they have proved they can score goals away from home.
But they will have to be more resolute if they are going to get anything from Scotland.
The Scots were beaten 2-1 by Turkey in their last game and the hosts could have been out of sight before they opened the scoring. But Clarke admitted he had experimented in the game and said the long trip had taken its toll on his squad.
"There were some things that we tried on the pitch, organisation and set-play wise that worked and some that didn't. We have to go away, analyse what we did and hopefully be much better next year," said Clarke.
Expect the Scots to be rejuvenated for their first outing in 2023 and they are fancied to get off to a winning start as they make a bold bid to reach the finals next year.

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