Ukraine vs Scotland Betting Tips

Ukraine entertain Scotland in what looks set to be a fascinating Euro 2008 Group B qualifier on Wednesday evening. Known as 'the group of death' their isn't a great deal to choose between six of the seven sides at present and the whole complexion of the table could change pretty rapidly. Currently, Scotland are flying high. Walter Smith's charges are topping the charts following victories against the Faroe Islands and Lithuania, and latterly when causing a shock by beating World Cup runners-up France by a goal to nil at Hampden Park on Saturday. Smith and his men know that it's a long and winding road between here and Austria and Switzerland for Euro 2008, but confidence must be high within Scottish quarters following a start to their qualifying campaign which has been more successful than most will have predicted. Ukraine sit three points above last-placed Faroe Islands in the group following their 2-0 defeat in Italy on Saturday. However, they gave it a good go against the World Cup-winning Azzurri, a game in which they only succumbed to the Italians after 71 minutes had passed. Oleg Blokhin's men left the Finals in Germany having done themselves proud following an inauspicious start to the tournament. Main man Andriy Shevchenko, who is currently misfiring at Chelsea, is doubtful for this game, but the Ukraine boast plenty of attacking firepower with the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk hitman Andriy Vorobey and Andrey Voronin of Bayer Leverkusen. The Ukraine desperately need to win this fixture. With the current second and third placed nations in the table, France and Italy, appearing to have relatively straightforward tasks against the Faroe Island and Georgia respectively on Saturday, the Eastern European side cannot afford to lose more ground. If they fail to beat Scotland and, as expected, France and Italy both win their matches, then Oleg Blokhin and his men will have to look a long way down the tunnel if they are to see any light. At present, that light shines brightly on Scotland, and the confidence they will have derived from the France victory will stand them in good stead. As such, I reckon that the Tartan Army will get something from this game. The most likely outcome is that this will end in a draw, so Stan James' offer of 5/2 about this in the match result market is the recommended bet. I expect the Ukraine to take the more offensive approach, and while they will be dangerous, Scotland have looked defensively sound and will not be easy to penetrate.Verdict - 2pts draw in the match result market @ 5/2 (Stan James)