Graham Ruthven | The weekend’s best bets

Player to score – Che Adams (Scotland v Ireland)

Scotland dominated Ukraine in a crucial UEFA Nations League match on Wednesday evening, winning 3-0 to put them top of their group. Steve Clarke’s team were more proactive than they have been recently with a switch to a back four giving Scotland more control and creativity in the centre of the pitch.

Che Adams was presented with a number of opportunities and finished the match on an Expected Goals (xG) of 0.78 – only Ryan Christie finished with a higher xG. The 26-year-old has scored four goals in his last six games for Southampton and is a good bet to find the back of the net for his country against Republic of Ireland.

Player to be carded – Granit Xhaka (Spain v Switzerland)

Spain have a chance to secure top spot in their UEFA Nations League and qualify for the Finals with a victory over Switzerland with Luis Enrique’s side expected to dominate the centre of the pitch. It’s crucial that Switzerland close down Spain have the ball and this comes with an occupation hazard for someone like Granit Xhaka.

Xhaka has enjoyed a good start to the season for Arsenal, but he will have to handle waves of Spanish pressure on Saturday evening. The likes of Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres, Rodri and Koke are all comfortable on the ball and Xhaka will have to step in at times to prevent them getting close to goal. This makes him a solid bet for a booking.

Match to be a draw – Bosnia v Montenegro

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro both possess quality with the two nations competing for top spot in their UEFA Nations League group. Just one point separates them ahead of this clash in Zenica and the outcome of this match could matter more than most Nations League games this weekend.

The last three meetings between Bosnia and Montenegro have ended in a draw. What’s more, both sides are in strong form – Bosnia are unbeaten in their last five matches while Montenegro have won three of their last five. Stefan Savic will be missing for the visitors, but a share of the points appears a predictable outcome.

Both teams to score – Germany v Hungary

Hungary have been the surprise package of this year’s UEFA Nations League with Marco Rossi’s team sitting top of a group that includes Germany, Italy and England with just two more fixtures to play. A point against Germany could all but secure top spot (depending on the Italy-England result), so Hungary have plenty to play for in Leipzig.

Hungary have scored in every Nations League game they have played so far. In fact, the last time they failed to find the back of the net in a competitive match was back in October 2021. Germany clearly have the greater individual pedigree, but they can’t afford to take Hungary lightly, especially after dropping points against them in June.

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This year’s UEFA Nations League has been a difficult experience for England with Gareth Southgate’s side drawing two and losing two of their four fixtures so far. The last meeting between the Three Lions and Italy failed to produce a single goal and this could be another cagey encounter between the two Euro 2020 finalists.

In fact, neither team has scored more than one goal in the last four England-Italy matches, a run that goes all the way back to 2015. Italy have won just one match in this year’s Nations League and will be without Marco Verratti and Lorenzo Pellegrini for this clash. Both teams are at a low ebb right now and goals are far from a guarantee.

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