Greece vs Scotland prediction: Vangelis Pavlidis to feature in narrow win for the hosts | OneFootball

Scotland travel to Athens to take on Greece in the first leg of their Nations League play-off on Thursday night, with Steve Clarke’s side looking to stay in the top tier of the competition.

A late Andy Robertson winner against Poland in November has given Scotland a second chance at avoiding relegation from the Nations League A tier, with Greece looking to take their place ahead of this two-leg shootout.

Greece lost just one match as they finished runners-up to England on goal difference alone in their B-tier group, while the Scots finished third despite encouraging performances against Croatia and Portugal.

After Thursday’s first leg, there will be a quick turnaround for the second leg at Hampden Park on Sunday (23 March).

And the Greeks are the early favourites for the tie, with football betting sites pricing them at 1/1 to grab the win on Thursday compared to odds of 29/10 for the Scots.

Greece come into the match as fairly heavy favourites according to betting sites, with the odds reflecting their positive performances in their B group, which included a win over England at Wembley.

Ivan Jovanovic’s side beat both Finland and Ireland home and away across that campaign too, showcasing plenty of ability against sides that are similar in stature to the Scots.

However, Scotland punched well above their weight in their League A campaign, with narrow losses to Portugal and Croatia showing that Steve Clarke’s side have the ability to hurt top teams when everything clicks.

The question, then, is whether it will click in Athens. Greece last lost at home to the Netherlands in October 2023, and the quality throughout the squad suggests they’ll have enough to overcome a resolute Scotland side.

Nevertheless, it is worth noting that Scotland only failed to score once in their league campaign, despite the quality of opposition.

To that end, a wager on Greece to win but both teams to score could offer value at 15/4 with William Hill.

Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis is the in-form man for Greece, having scored 20 goals and grabbed nine assists so far this season at club level – including a remarkable Champions League hat-trick against Barcelona in January.

While he has not been able to replicate that same form at international level, his brace in the 2-1 win over England in October once again showed that he has the ability to hurt top sides.

And Pavlidis will once again carry the main goal threat for Greece this time out, with likely support from winger Christos Tzolis and attacking midfielder Anastasios Bakasetas.

With that in mind, a bet on Pavlidis to score anytime could present good value at 2/1.

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