Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images. Pictured: Scotland standout Che Adams.
Scotland vs. Czech Republic Odds
| Scotland Odds | +170 |
| Czech Republic Odds | +200 |
| Draw | +200 |
| Over/Under | 2.5 (+163 / -200) |
| Day | Time | Monday | 9 a.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
| Odds as of Sunday afternoon via DraftKings | |
When it comes important matches on the Euro 2020 landscape, there might not be a bigger game in Group D play than Monday’s showdown between Scotland and Czech Republic.
These nations are part of a difficult quartet that includes tournament favorite England and 2018 World Cup runner-up Croatia, both of whom are heavily favored to reach the knockout phase. That means the Scots and Czechs will be jockeying for one of four places in the Round of 16 given to the top-four third-place finishers in group play.
Oddsmakers at DraftKings had this game as a straight toss-up early Sunday morning, with both Scotland and Czech Republic sitting at +185 moneyline odds. However, money has come in on the Scots throughout the day, which led them being the current favorites at +170 odds.
Let’s take a look at these foes and see where we can find some betting value.
Scotland Hoping to Secure Win on Home Soil
The Scots took the long, hard road to earn their place in the Euro 2020 field. They needed to triumph in back-to-back shootouts against Israel and Serbia in the qualifying-round playoffs, so they might feel destiny is on their side.
If manager Steve Clarke can guide Scotland into the knockout round, it will be a historic moment since the country was unable to get out of the group stage in its two previous attempts at the Euros.
The Scots have to feel confident entering this game for a couple of reasons, with the first being the fact they’ve beaten the Czechs the last three times they’ve met. The second is the location of this contest, which is being held at Hampden Park in Glasgow. The latter could be a huge edge for Scotland.
If you’re wondering what kind of tactics Clarke might implement in the opener, it seems likely he’ll send this players out in either a 4-1-4-1 or 3-5-2 formation. The Scots played in a 4-1-4-1 in a June 6 win over Luexmbourg, but my hunch is we’ll see the latter with two strikers up front.
When it comes to personnel, Che Adams (Southampton) and Lyndon Dykes (Queens Park Rangers) lead the offensive attack. They’ll get midfield support from Scott McTominay (Manchester United), John McGinn (Aston Villa) and Callum McGregor (Celtic).
Czech Republic Not in Best Form Prior to Tournament
The Czechs have been anything but steady in their matches leading up to this meeting. They have just one win — a 3-1 triumph over Albania last week — in their last four contests, plus they’ve lost four of their last five road contests.
Those subpar results, which included a 4-0 blowout defeat against Italy and 1-0 setback to Wales, should have fans of Czech Republic slightly concerned, but they can also look at a 1-1 draw against powerful Belgium in a World Cup qualifying match on March 27 at Sinobo Stadium in Praha.
Manager Jaroslav Šilhavý has some talented players at his disposal when putting together a lineup that will come in a 4-2-3-1 formation. West Ham United standout Tomáš Souček runs the show from his defensive-midfield position, with Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen) and Vladimir Darida (Hertha Berlin) leading the offense.
In my opinion, Schick could be one of the breakout stars of this tournament The 25-year-old standout, who has 11 international goals for his country, finished with nine goals and two assists in 29 appearances for his Bundesliga side. He also scored three times in five Europa League games for Leverkusen.
Betting Analysis & Pick
This really is a difficult match to handicap. These countries could probably play 10 times and they’d split the results down the middle.
However, I keep going back to the fact Scotland has had their opponent’s number of late and that has to be sitting in the back of Czech Republic’s mind entering this affair. Throw in the fact this game is on Scottish soil and I find it hard to believe the home nation will throw in a clunker in its tournament debut.
I think this line is spot on for this match, but I’m slightly hesitant to jump on Scotland via a moneyline wager. Instead, I’m backing Scotland on a Draw No Bet wager at -121 odds at DraftKings as my top selection.
Sit back and enjoy this dogfight between two proud, talented countries that could deliver one of the best matches in the first week of play.
Pick: Scotland — Draw No Bet (-121)
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