The 2022 World Cup draw is complete, but there is still a little work to do to fill out the 32-team field for the upcoming winter tournament in Qatar.
Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, the Scotland vs Ukraine World Cup playoff semifinal was postponed in March and rescheduled for June 1. The match will take place in the Scottish capital of Glasgow, with the winner advancing to a qualification final against Wales.
The winner of the playoff final between Wales and either Scotland or Ukraine will advance to the World Cup and play in Group B, which consists of England, the United States and Iran.
Scotland has not been a part of the FIFA World Cup since 1998 and Ukraine’s last and only appearance in the tournament as an independent country was in 2006 when they reached the quarterfinals.
There is a lot at stake for both teams in the match, so let’s get to my favorite bets for this showdown.
Scotland vs Ukraine World Cup Qualifier Odds
- 90 Minutes: Scotland (+128), Draw (+190), Ukraine (+235)
- To Qualify: Scotland (-155), Ukraine (+122)
- Spread: Scotland -0.5 (+127), Ukraine +0.5 (-165)
- Over/Under: Over 1.5 (-195), Under 1.5 (+155)
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Scotland vs Ukraine World Cup Qualifier Pick
This is a tough game to pick because both teams have the talent and heart to impress in the World Cup.
Yes, the winner of this match would still need to beat Wales to get there, but you can’t help but root for both sides here. Scotland will unfortunately still be without their star left back Kieran Tierney due to injury and could have a fatigued Andrew Robertson, who is coming off an extremely busy season with Liverpool.
The positive for the Scots is that the majority of their squad has been playing consistent football for the past three months, whereas most of the Ukrainian team has not. Over half of Ukraine’s roster plays in the Ukrainian Premier League, which cancelled most of their games over the past three months due to the ongoing war.
That could impact the team’s match sharpness, but at least they will have a fully healthy squad for this matchup.
This will be a hard-fought game, but Ukraine is the better team and should advance to the playoff final in a tough road fixture.
Scotland vs Ukraine Prediction
Ukraine 2, Scotland 1 AET
This is going to be a challenging game for both sides and should be evenly matched.
I don’t think we will have a result in 90 minutes as this has extra time written all over it. However, I’m going to back this Ukrainian team to pull off the upset because of their creative players in the attacking third.
Scotland vs Ukraine Key Players
Andrew Robertson, Scotland
The Scotland captain looks ready to go for Wednesday’s matchup after playing the full 90 minutes in the Champions League final over the weekend. The Liverpool star will most likely slide into his natural left back position due to the injury to Kieran Tierney.
Robertson’s leadership and play from the back will be crucial for Scotland to advance to the next round of qualifying. He and the rest of the Scottish defense will have a tough task in containing the Ukranian attack.
If he’s not 100% fit, it could spell trouble for Scotland.
Ruslan Malinovskyi, Ukraine
Arguably the best player on this Ukrainian side, Malinovskyi has become the catalyst for their offense. The 29-year-old was stellar at Italian side Atalanta this year, scoring 10 goals and recording seven assists across all competitions.
He will be crucial in linking the play to striker Andriy Yarmolenko and creating goal-scoring opportunities for Ukraine. Malinovskyi has dealt with knee issues this season, but he did feature in Atalanta’s penultimate Serie A match and should be good to go.
Scotland vs Ukraine Best Bets
Ukraine to Qualify (+122)
Despite not having the home crowd cheering them on, Ukraine is the better team on paper in my opinion and will push Scotland in this contest.
Even though they had an easier path to this semifinal, Ukraine should be able to weather the early storm from Scotland and grind out this win.
Draw (+190)
I think this game will end 1-1 after 90 minutes. Both sides have the ability to score but can also play a very defensive game. This is going to be a physical and gritty contest, so I don’t see many goals being scored.
I would take the Under at 2.5 goals if it’s available. I also like both teams to score, but if you are worried about the 0-0 result at the end of 90 minutes, then bet the draw instead.
