Scotland are getting set to head over to the Netherlands and face off against the sixth-best side in men's football, which will be a tough, but necessary one ahead of the summer.
Steve Clarke's side have been pitted in Group A this summer against Germany, Switzerland and Hungary, so it'll be a tough task to reach the knockout stages. Perhaps, they could pull on some inspiration from past international tournaments and that may start from this week against their Dutch opponents.
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Archie Gemmill goal v Netherlands 1978: Still the best?
Back in 1978, Scotland legend, Archie Gemmill, scored arguably his country's finest ever goal in the World Cup against the Netherlands. As the Dutch failed to clear the ball late in the second half, Gemmill took advantage before dancing past three players and rounding off his solo run by curling an effort into the far corner.
This was to be the winning goal in Scotland's first victory against the Netherlands in a major tournament. They ended up winning the game 3-2 but ultimately leaving the World Cup at the group stages, but it will always be fondly remembered for a remarkable piece of individual brilliance.
Other memorable Scotland goals vs Netherlands
Scotland 1-0 Netherlands 2003 – James McFadden
This victory at Hampden Park was only Scotalnd's second win against the Netherlands since Gemmill scored that famous goal in the World Cup and James McFadden appeared to have netted an equally as important one.
Scotland were handed a difficult two-legged play-off against the Netherlands to see who would book their spot at Euro 2004. So, Scotland knew they had to win their home leg to have even the slimmest of chances to progress, which is when McFadden stepped forward.
McFadden whipped in a rather poor corner which was eventually recycled to him out wide and after some neat play on the edge of the area he was released into the box and unleashed a thunderbolt into the far corner. This goal allowed Scotland to defend valiantly for the next 68 minutes and pick up a huge home win.
Netherlands 2-2 Scotland 2021 – Jack Hendry
This was the most recent encounter between the two nations and once again, Scotland refused to roll over to a historically, bigger footballing powerhouse. Steve Clarke's men raced into a one-goal lead after just 10 minutes when Jack Hendry fired home a stunning long-range effort.
Scotland certainly caught the Netherlands out cold with such an early goal, especially from an unusual goalscorer in Hendry who – until this strike – had never scored for his country. While this clash was just a friendly match, Scotland were more than enough to show the rest of Europe they're no longer the whipping boys in competitions.
Hendry's goal was a rather special one for himself and Scotland with the defence being unnaturally high up the pitch and deciding to take action into his own hands. Scotland's centre-back looked like an accomplished forward as he took a touch towards the edge of the area and fired a low effort arrowed into the far corner from close to 25 yards out leaving Tim Krul with no chance.
What to expect from Scotland vs Netherlands
Since Gemmill found the back of the net in memorable fashion, Scotland have only managed to score six times against the Netherlands across all fixtures and competitions and two of those games in 2021.
So, there is very little evidence to suggest Clarke's side can find the back of the net this midweek, especially playing away from home. However, if they are to score, then we'd suggest backing them to do so in the first half.
This is because four of their six goals against the Dutch national side have come in the opening 45 minutes. This is perhaps when the Netherlands are more vulnerable and maybe not taking Scotland as a serious footballing side, which they certainly now are under Clarke.
You can find attractive odds of around 18/5 for Scotland to score the first goal of the first half on Friday, March 22nd and given how the other encounters have gone, this would appear to be rather good value.
We will have plenty of other free betting tips on offer throughout this international break, so remember to check them out.
