Gibraltar vs Scotland: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

Scotland’s preparations for the upcoming European Championships begin with a trip to minnows Gibraltar as they look to build some momentum.

Date: 03/06/24

Kick-off time: 17:00

Venue: Estadio Algarve

Euro 2024 gets underway in less than a month, and Scotland play the first of two friendlies against Gibraltar and Finland to prepare. Manager Steve Clarke has named an initial 28-man provisional squad, allowing him to take a good look at his players before cutting it down to 26 on June 8th. He has named a squad mixed with youth and experience, including Liverpool youngster Ben Doak, who will hope to make his first ever international appearance. Premier League representation includes Andy Robertson, Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay.

It was a strong qualification campaign for Scotland, as they secured their place in the tournament with two games to spare. However, they are in the midst of a seven-game winless streak, so they will be desperate to get some goals on the board to generate momentum and confidence ahead of their opening game against Germany. In their last five games, they have conceded 14 goals and scored six. During qualifying, McTominay was their leading goalscorer with seven. Only four players scored more, so he will likely be a strong threat once more. Aston Villa’s John McGinn has also been a solid contributor offensively with three goals.

Gibraltar are ranked 203rd in the world, and they have not won a game since November 2022, which means a 10-game losing streak. This was also the last time they scored, with them letting in 46 goals during this time. This includes a huge 14-0 defeat to France, before they lost 6-0 to Netherlands. They most recently played in a two-legged Nations League relegation playoff against Lithuania, but lost 1-0 in both games.

These two countries have only met twice before, both coming in Euro 2016 qualifying in March and October 2015. They both ended overwhelmingly in Scotland’s favour, with them winning 6-1 at home. Steven Fletcher scored a hat-trick whilst Shaun Maloney netted a brace. Away from home they won 6-0, with Fletcher once again scoring a hat-trick.

Gibraltar

Captain Roy Chipolina and most capped player Liam Walker should be involved in this game against Scotland.

Scotland

There are a number of youngsters named in the provisional squad for Euro 2024 looking to impress, including Liverpool teenager Ben Doak, who has yet to earn a cap. Celtic winger James Forrest has earned a recall for the first time in almost three years.

Gibraltar

In their last five games, Gibraltar are winless, losing all of them. Unsurprisingly, Gibraltar have continued to struggle both offensively and defensively. This run started with the tail end of their Euro qualifying campaign in which they conceded 24 and scored zero. The first game was a 4-0 loss at home to Republic of Ireland. They conceded two goals in each half as they failed to register a single shot on target.

This preceded a heavy 14-0 defeat at former world champions France. It was the worst possible start as they conceded twice in as many minutes to go two down after four minutes. They let in a third just before Ethan Santos saw red, making their task even harder. Four more goals followed before half-time, making it 7-0. Kylian Mbappe completed a hat-trick and Olivier Giroud netted a brace as seven more were scored in the second period. They finished their qualifying campaign with a 6-0 loss against Netherlands. Calvin Stengs scored a hat-trick, adding to strikes from Mats Wieffer, Teun Koopmeiners and Cody Gakpo.

Two games against Lithuania followed in the Nations League relegation playoff. The first leg at home ended in a 1-0 defeat, with Armandas Kucys scoring the winning goal. Their task was made more difficult after they were reduced to 10 men in the first half. They were on the end of the same scoreline in the second leg to lose 2-0 on aggregate. Fiodor Cernych’s goal was the difference between the two teams.

Scotland

In the last five games, Scotland have drawn two and lost three. It has been a poor stretch for Scotland as they failed to pick up a win across both friendlies and European Qualifiers. The first game of this run was a friendly, in which they took on France. However, they came out as 4-1 losers. Billy Gilmour had given the Scots the lead after just 11 minutes, but Benjamin Pavard equalised five minutes later. The defender grabbed his second shortly after to put France ahead, before Kylian Mbappe and Kingsley Coman added to the lead.

They returned to qualifying action against Georgia, but were only able to pick up a point. They had to come from behind twice to earn this result. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice, with Scott McTominay and Lawrence Shankland providing the responses, including a 93rd minute leveller. Another draw followed, as the points were shared in a 3-3 draw at home to Norway in the final group game. Both teams took leads during the game, though it was the visitors who grabbed a late equaliser. Norway went ahead twice through Aron Donnum and Jorgen Strand Larsen, but were pegged back by John McGinn and an own goal. Mohamed Elyounoussi scored with four minutes left after Stuart Armstrong put Scotland on top.

The last international break saw them lose twice in friendlies, firstly 4-0 to Netherlands. Most of the damage was done late with Tijjani Reijnders, Georginio Wijnaldum, Wout Weghorst and Donyell Malen scoring. Their latest game was a home fixture against Northern Ireland in which they lost 1-0. Conor Bradley’s first half goal was the difference between the two sides.

It will be a matter of how many for Scotland, as they should dominate against a very inferior Gibraltar side. We expect them to enjoy plenty of success in front of goal – Gibraltar 0-5 Scotland

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Gibraltar vs Scotland will be available to watch on Premier Sports 1.

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