Denmark will play host to Scotland on Wednesday, September 1, at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen. The match will be played in the fourth round of group play in World Cup 2022 Qualifiers, marking the first meeting between these two nations since 2016, when Scotland beat Denmark 1-0 in a friendly match.
Denmark vs Scotland
When: Wednesday, September 1 – 20:45 CEST
Where: Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark
Weather: Clear, 18°C
Referee: Ovidiu Hațegan (ROU)
Denmark will clash with Scotland on Wednesday, searching for their fourth World Cup 2022 Qualifiers win. The Danes have already won against Israel (2-0), Moldova (8-0), and Austria (4-0), and now hold the sole position atop Group F with nine points.
Scotland are at five points, which sits them in second, just one point above Israel and Austria, having managed two draws and one convincing win, albeit against Faroe Islands (4-0). Naturally, Scotland will want to walk away from today’s match with all three points; however, a single point wouldn’t be a disaster either – but can the Tartan Army steal a point from the in-form Denmark?
Denmark In Excellent Form
Denmark have won all three of their World Cup 2022 qualification matches, with an aggregate score of 14-0. They beat Israel (2-0), Moldova (8-0), and Austria (4-0), which might not look too great given the quality of teams they had to face; however, it’s hard to ignore the Dynamite’s win against Austria, who nearly eliminated the eventual European champions, Italy, in the Euro 2020 1/8 finals.
Talking about Euro 2020, Denmark made it to the semi-finals, forcing England to extra time. Although the Danes lost that match, they put up a respectable fight and have shown to the world that they can compete with the best European football teams.
The hosts will enter this match with a few missing players. The list includes Christian Eriksen, Barcelona striker Martin Braithwaite, Kasper Dolberg, and Jannik Vestergaard. Although not an optimal scenario, it shouldn’t be too concerning for Kasper Hjulmand, who has more than enough players to fill in the gaps.
Denmark enter this match with a 3-0-2 record in their last five. That stretch includes wins against Russia (4-1), Wales (4-0), and Czech Republic (2-1), as well as two losses against Belgium (1-2) and England (1-2 OT).
If we look further back, Denmark are 6-1-3 in their last 10 with the exact same record across their last 10 home games. They have, however, lost both of their last two home games against Finland (0-1) and Belgium (1-2) during EURO 2020, albeit we wouldn’t overreact to those results, given how strong Belgium are and the unfortunate incident that has happened in Denmark’s match with the Finns.
Scotland Looking To Build On Their EURO 2020 Run
Scotland had a promising run at the EURO 2020, where they enjoyed a draw against England; however, their losses against the Czech Republic (0-2) and Croatia (1-3) led to a premature exit from the tournament for the Tartan Army, who ended the group stage with one point and -4 goal difference.
Regardless, Steve Clarke’s men have done well in the World Cup 2022 qualifiers, securing five points from three games. They forced draws against Austria (2-2) and Israel (1-1) and picked up a 4-0 win against the Faroe Islands.
Although good results, it’s unlikely that Scotland will manage to achieve much tonight, largely because Clarke will miss several key players. The list includes Scott McTominy, James Forrest, Stuart Armstrong, John McGinn, Stephen O’Donnell, and David Marshall.
Even though the Danes will also enter the match without a couple of men, the hosts have a much deeper bench and will have an easier time filling in the gaps than the Scots. On a more positive note, Scotland are still in an excellent spot to qualify from Group F, even if they lose today, mainly because the group isn’t particularly strong.
Denmark vs Scotland Betting Pick
Denmark last met with Scotland in 2016 when they lost 0-1. It marked their second consecutive loss against the Tartan Army, who beat the Dynamite in 2011 with 2-1.
However, a lot of time has passed since these two nations last met, and it’s fair to say that the Danes have since gotten their hands on a much more powerful squad.
What’s more, the Danes tend to perform well at home, whereas Scotland aren’t exactly strong travellers, having won only one of their last seven away games – and even that came against Luxembourg (0-1).
All in all, the Dynamite are a well-rounded team, have the needed depth and a stronger squad. They should be winning games like this one, and playing at home should serve as an added boost to close out the game with at least two goals to spare.
Prediction: Denmark -1.00 Asian Handicap – 1.88 at Bet365, 1.86 at Matchbook
