Euro qualifying best bets: Can Scotland deny Serbia in Belgrade?

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Four months after Euro 2020 was initially scheduled to conclude, the final round of qualifying is upon us.

The last four spots in the tournament field - now being held in summer 2021 despite UEFA's decision not to change the name - are up for grabs on Thursday and our goal is to make these massive fixtures equally profitable.

North Macedonia (+170) at Georgia (+165), Draw (+185); Nov. 12 @ 12 ET

One of these countries will make history on Thursday, qualifying for a major tournament as an independent nation for the first time since separating from Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, respectively. Neither side has lost a match in 2020 and will meet for the third time in the last two months, with both previous encounters ending 1-1.

With some impressive young players in the ranks, Georgia are on the rise. However, North Macedonia presently have the edge in both talent and experience. Stefan Ristovski and skipper Goran Pandev are invaluable presences at either end and the midfield boasts an important blend of stability and creativity. Notably, the visitors are much deeper all over the pitch, giving them a clear edge in this match. As very slight underdogs, I'm certainly biting.

Pick: North Macedonia (+170)

Iceland (+180) at Hungary (+130), Draw (+205); Nov. 12 @ 2:45 p.m.

Iceland will be popular among bettors in this match, having impressed in their Euro debut in 2016 and subsequently qualified for the 2018 World Cup. However, the landscape of international football is constantly changing and Iceland are a nation trending down. Many of their stars from Euro 2016 are not the players they once were, while some promising youngsters have completely fallen out of favor at their respective clubs.

Iceland has lost four of five matches in 2020, which largely boils down to an aging defense starved of talent failing to keep a single clean sheet in those five fixtures. It spells trouble against a Hungary attack with plenty of goals in it, headlined by Salzburg's Dominik Szoboszlai and Mainz's Adam Szalai.

Hungary has lost just once in five matches in 2020. In that span, Marco Rossi's team has managed impressive scalps away to Serbia, Turkey, and Bulgaria and can now benefit from playing this qualifier in Budapest. Hungary are strong in all three phases and, with their best squad in decades, will qualify for back-to-back Euros for the first time in the nation's history.

Pick: Hungary (+130)

Slovakia (+170) at Northern Ireland (+165), Draw (+185), Nov. 12 @ 2:45 p.m.

If you're deciding which game to watch on Thursday, you can comfortably take this off your radar. Both sides struggle for goals and often play not to lose rather than to win. Slovakia have just one victory inside 90 minutes in their last nine matches, while Northern Ireland have none in seven.

Slovakia are without a host of first-team players here - including first-choice goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, veteran defender Martin Skrtel, and forward Robert Bozenik - but Northern Ireland don't have the attacking quality to take advantage. The Green and White Army are scrappy and perfectly suited for a cagey affair, which feels like an inevitability Thursday night at Windsor Park.

Pick: Draw (+185)

Scotland (+375) at Serbia (-150), Draw (+245), Nov. 12 @ 2:45 p.m.

Scotland, who's hoping to qualify for a first major tournament since 1998, has been dealt a tough hand facing Serbia in Belgrade. Both nations will be dealing with some important absences here - Serbia will be without Milos Veljkovic and Filip Djuricic while Scotland are missing injured duo Ryan Fraser and Grant Hanley.

The talent disparity between the two is the biggest amid Thursday's four-match slate. Scotland's Andrew Robertson may be one of the best players on the pitch, but beyond him, Steve Clarke's side simply can't produce the same quality Serbia has in the likes of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Dusan Tadic, Filip Kostic, and Luka Jovic, among others.

Despite an abundance of quality, Serbia has been struggling for form this year. The Eagles - notorious underperformers - have not won any of their last six matches in 90 minutes and their only four competitive victories since the start of 2019 have come against Luxembourg and Lithuania (two vs. each). Conversely, their opponents here have won seven of their last eight matches and are unbeaten over that span. Scotland have the spine, combativeness, and spirit needed to make life difficult on the hosts.

Pick: Draw (+245)

(Odds source: theScore Bet)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.