Bolivia v Scotland: Back Shankland to strike in win for Clarke's men

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Saturday 06 June, 21:00
Live on BBC Two

Bolivia looking for solace after World Cup agony

Bolivia will doubtless look at Scotland with a degree of jealousy when the teams clash in New Jersey. The South American side had a golden opportunity to reach the finals, but having edged out Suriname in March's playoff semi-finals, they lost 2-1 to Iraq in the final.

Bolivia finished seventh in World Cup qualifying, winning six of their 18 matches. It's not surprising that their home record was boosted by the advantage of playing at high altitude, but they struggled when that advantage was removed.

Despite missing out on qualification, coach Oscar Villegas has been retained, and he has plenty of admin issues ahead of this game. Experienced midfielder Ramiro Vaca and influential striker Moises Paniagua both play their club football for Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca. Both have been told they can't play because the game falls outside an official FIFA window.

A further five players have been ruled out either by injury or by a failure to secure a US visa, and Villegas has responded to these absences by calling up eight teenagers.

Clarke hoping for proof his team is ready

Saturday's 4-1 win over Curacao was a decent send-off for Scotland as they played their final game at Hampden Park before the World Cup. It certainly wasn't perfect, as Tahith Chong netted a surprise early goal for the Caribbean outfit, and Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour was ruled out of the whole tournament with a knee injury.

There were some positives. Lawrence Shankland did his chances of being Clarke's starting centre-forward no harm at all with a beautifully taken brace, and Rangers teenager Findlay Curtis found the net in only his second cap. Clarke hinted afterwards that Curtis may even be ahead of Ben Gannon-Doak in the race for a starting spot against Haiti.

It's also worth noting that Clarke has been given a personal boost ahead of the tournament, as the SFA have handed him a new contract to take him through to 2030. That extension is certainly deserved - Clarke is surely now the greatest Scotland coach of all time, having led the country to two European Championships and the finals of a World Cup. He has coached Scotland in more games than anyone in the team's storied history.

Manchester United youngster Tyler Fletcher replaced Gilmour in the squad and made his debut against Curacao, and he is expected to get more minutes here. New Rangers signing Shankland could start in attack again alongside Che Adams, with the two being potential rivals if Clarke adopt to field a single striker once the tournament begins.

Although the Haiti game is fast approaching, star midfielder Scott McTominay is expected to play some minutes.

Scotland to take the win and Shankland to shine

Shankland looked razor-sharp against Curacao, and while scoring a brace against such limited opposition isn't necessarily a reason to bring out the bunting, it follows on from an exceptional campaign with Hearts.

The striker bashed in 16 Premiership goals for a team that came within just a few minutes of one of the most unlikely title successes in European football since the turn of the century.

Against a hugely depleted and demoralised Bolivia, I'm happy to back Scotland to win (our friends at Opta tell us Bolivia have lost 16 of 21 games against European sides), Shankland to score and Findlay Curtis to be fouled at 7/52.40 on the Sportsbook's Bet Builder.

Curtis won a penalty against Curacao, and during his loan spell at Kilmarnock this season the teenager picked up 1.76 fouls per 90.

Featured Bet Builder worth a look

If you take a look at the Sportsbook's Featured Bet Builder section, you'll see that you can back Scotland to score 2+ goals and get 5+ corners at a healthy 23/202.15.

Clarke's side has racked up at least five corners in four of the last six internationals, and they have scored twice or more in seven of their last 10 games.

Outside their home country, Bolivia have conceded at least twice in 15 of their last 20 outings, and this is a team that is going to be nowhere near full strength.

Now read Kev's Golden Boot preview here!