Scotland v Cyprus: Clarke's boys to make strong start

• Scotland in good form at home

• Cyprus regularly lose on the road

Scotland v Cyprus
Saturday 25 March, 14:00
Live on Viaplay Sports

Kylian Mbappé took just 21 minutes to deliver for us last night, as the new captain of France found the net in Les Bleus' 4-0 romp against the Netherlands. That means our excellent week continues apace, and now we'll take in Scotland's clash with Cyprus.

Scots know they'll get a second chance

Even if Scotland don't qualify automatically for EURO 2024, they know that their fine performances in the Nations League guarantee them another shot at it via the playoff system. That of course doesn't mean they won't go into these qualifiers with anything less than 100% commitment, but it's a nice position to be in.

Scotland are on a good run at home, having won their last three matches at Hampden Park. They overcame Armenia, Ukraine and the Republic of Ireland. If you stretch back further, they have won seven of their last ten matches on home soil, and lost just twice.

There is lots of debate and speculation over when Scotland boss Steve Clarke will wheel out the tried and trusted back three for these qualifiers, and there is also intrigue when it comes to the goalkeeping position. Craig Gordon is unavailable, so there'll be an inexperienced stopper between the posts, with Angus Gunn battling with Zander Clark and Liam Kelly for the position. In defence, Jack Hendry is out with injury.

Cyprus determined to cause an upset

If you remember that famous scene where he went to town on an innocent advertising hoarding, you'll know that Cyprus boss and former Newcastle star Temuri Ketsbaia has a passionate streak. He has certainly come out fighting ahead of this game, stating that the country's status as underdogs will give them motivation. Ketsbaia was a player when Clarke was a coach at Newcastle, but there'll be no room for sentiment here.

Cyprus had a very disappointing campaign in the Nations League. They won just one of their six games, and on their travels they lost 5-1 at Kosovo and 3-0 in Greece. A recent friendly win at Israel was their first road success since 2019. If you examine the World Cup qualifiers, Cyprus lost all five away matches, scoring just once and conceding 14 times.

Scotland to make flying start

Scotland's home form suggest they can underline the gap in quality here. I'll back Scotland to win, Over 6.5 Corners and Che Adams to have at least one shot on target at 1.845/6 on the Sportsbook's Bet Builder. Adams has averaged over one shot on target per 90 in two of the last three Premier League seasons for a struggling Southampton side. I expect Scotland to stay on the front foot against inferior opposition, so that corner line should be achievable.