World Cup Preview: Scotland needs points to win direct qualification, Greece has bid farewell to the World Cup ahead of schedule
At 03:45 in the morning on November 16th, Beijing time, Group C of the European Qualifying Tournament of the World Cup will stage a key showdown. Greece will face Scotland at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus.
This competition means completely different things to both sides. Scotland is currently tied with Denmark on 10 points, ranking second in the group due to a goal difference disadvantage. In this campaign, they only need to score 1 more point to retain the initiative to qualify until the final round and have a final decisive battle with Denmark. For the Greek team, this is already a competition for honor. They have been determined to miss the 2026 World Cup after three consecutive losses.
The recent competitive state of the Greek team has been a disaster. It suffered three consecutive defeats in the qualifying rounds and conceded at least three goals in each of these three games. Such consecutive defeats have never happened in their past 61 games. Although the overall competitive state is worrying, the Greek team's home team performance in this qualifying round is also unconvincing. Their only home team win was against Belarus, the weakest team in the group, which had limited gold content. Then they lost 0-3 to Denmark at home. Forward Szolis is the team's sharpest attacking point. He has scored 5 goals in the past 9 national team games, including a goal against Scotland at the home team stadium. His speed and skill will be key to breaking the deadlock for Greece.
The Scottish team is in good competitive form, remaining undefeated in the qualifying rounds (3 wins and 1 draw), and has recently won three consecutive victories. Scotland's performance on the road, especially in defence, was perfect. They remained unbeaten in five away games in 2025 (3 wins, 1 draw) and did not concede a goal. This amazing visiting team's defensive stability will be their most important basis for scoring points in this game. Midfielder McTominay is the team's top contributor in the qualifying stage. All eight of his recent goals for the national team occurred within the first 60 minutes of the game, demonstrating his excellent timing and finishing ability in the three-second zone.
The Greek team's injuries have severely affected its lineup strength. Defender Mavropanos and forward Ioannidis are both absent from the current national team due to injuries
The Scotland team is also facing some injuries, and midfielder Gilmore is expected to miss the game due to injury. Key goalkeeper Gunn is absent due to injury. In addition, defender McIlroy and midfielder Miller also withdrew from the current national team due to injuries.
In terms of historical encounters, in the last three encounters, Scotland has a slight advantage with a total record of 2 wins and 1 loss, including a 3-1 reversal of victory over Greece at home in October, and a 1-0 away win in Athens in March. However, the Greek team was not helpless. They responded to Scotland with a 3-0 score in Glasgow in March, proving that they had the ability to break through Scotland's defense.
