Kazakhstan v Scotland Betting Tips: First win for McLeish’s men?

Betting preview and odds for Group I clash

Scotland begin their Euro 2020 qualification campaign with a long-haul trip to face Kazakhstan at the Astana Arena this afternoon.

Alex McLeish’s men haven’t been to the Euros since 1996. But they’ve got a better chance than ever to make amends in a group which also contains Belgium, Cyprus, Russia and San Marino.

Two countries will go through from Group I, and it all gets underway live on Sky Sports Main Event from 2:30pm.

Head-to-Head

There’s not much to glean from the head-to-head record, mainly because the two sides have never met on the international stage. In fact this will be only Kazakhstan’s third ever match against a side from the British Isles.

England are the other opponent they’ve faced from these shores. The Three Lions won both previous clashes 5-1 and 4-0 during the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Likely XIs

McLeish has all kinds of headaches ahead of this one, with no fewer than seven first-team players missing. Premier League duo Andrew Robertson and Ryan Fraser are both on the missing list, while Barry Bannan and Charlie Mulgrew are out injured.

That could mean starts for the likes of Liam Kelly, John Fleck, Liam Palmer and Scott McTominay, who will partner captain Callum McGregor in a defensive midfield two. Graeme Shinnie is poised to come in at left-back.

Swansea City star Oli McBurnie could get the nod up-front in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Kazakhstan are expected to match-up in the same way.