It's day 2 of the World Cup qualifiers and a huge evening lies ahead for Scotland who travel to Lithuania knowing only a win will do in the race for qualification. Elsewhere in the group, Slovakia host Slovenia while England travel to Malta in what should be a routine win for Gareth Southgate's side. A Goals are a strong possibility with Denmark hosting Poland while world champions Germany's trip to Prague should produce some interesting fare with the world champions expected to pick up the points. Here then are my previews for Friday's fixtures. Come on Scotland! World Cup Qualification UEFA 1st Round Grp. E 19:45 Denmark vs Poland - Prediction -2.2 Best Bets - BTTS @4/5, Poland not to lose @4/7 Over 2.5 and yes @5/4 Key Facts * Poland have seen BTTS in 8 of their last 9 fixtures * Poland have seen BTTS in 5 of their last 6 away qualifiers * Poland won 3.2 in the reverse fixture in Poland last October * Denmark have seen BTTS in 5 of their last 7 fixtures FInal Verdict I expect goals here with the Danes tied for 2nd in the group, 6 points behind the leaders Poland who will be happy to take a point on their travels and that's the outcome I expect here with BTTS my favoured selection. 5 goals were shared in the reverse fixture last year and that bodes well for this big fixture in Copenhagen and BTTS @4/5 looks a steal.with this one also having every chance of going over 2.5 goals. Poland have the advantage in terms of attacking talent and I expect Robert Lewandowski to score in a game that should prove to be quite entertaining. I fancy the visitors not to lose @4/7 and BTTS @4/5. 19:45 Czech Republic vs Germany - Prediction - 1.2 Best Bets - Germany to score 2 or more @4/7, Over 2.5 goals @4/5, BTTS@19/20 * Germany have scored 2 goals or more in 11 of their last 13 away international qualifies * Germany have concdeded in 5 of their last 9 away qualifiers * 5 of Germany's last 6 away qualifiers have gone over 2.5 goals * Each of the last 6 meetings between these two sides have gone over 2.5 goals 19:45 Lithuania vs Scotland - Prediction 1.2 Best Bets - Scotland to win @5/6 Gordon Strachan has suggested this is not a must win fixture for the Scots but logic and simple reality otherwise as Scotland look to build on their recent draw with England with 3 points against a sturdy but unspectacular Lithuanian side. While the Scots have been mostly written off, a win here, coupled with a draw in tonight's other fixture in Slovakia would leave Scotland in fine fettle and with every chance of catching the Slovaks and achieving the unlikely 2nd place, and I do quite fancy the Scots to claim the 3 points here but it definitely won't be easy against a Lithuanian team that are tough to beat, and more talented than given credit for. Scotland started the day as 5/6 favourites but have been backed into 7/10 odds on and hopefully, the bookies know something we don't. The price is certainly a bit short, and BTTS may present some better value @6/5. As it happens, I fancy both outcomes with Scotland desperate for the win and certainly possessing more quality in the final third but a Scottish clean sheet remains as scarce as a summer day in Glasgow so I'm going for a narrow 2.1 away win which will just about keep alive Scottish dreams of reaching the finals in Russia in 2018. 19:45 Slovakia vs Slovenia - Prediction - 1.1 Best Bets - Draw @12/5 Final Verdict Two evenly matched sides go head to head here and if Scotland are to have any chance of qualifying, they will most certainly need a draw here and that's what my optimistic heart is going for in this crucial fixture. Ultimately, Scotland are pretty prolific when it comes to heartache and the narrative this time around suggests the Scots will pick up 6 points over this weekend, Slovakia and Slovenia will draw here to leave Scotland in a great position. And then we blow it in the home match with Slovakia in October. Trust me, it's already decided. Draw. Friday Best Bets Germany to score 2 goals or more @4/7 NAP Denmark vs Poland - BTTS @4/5 NB Scotland to win @5/6 Lithuania vs Scotland - BTTS @6/5 LEWANDOWSKI TO SCORE ANYTIME @1/1 Comments are closed.
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