We have already had one huge clash between giants of European football at the European Championships tournament. France took on Germany in Munich earlier this week and emerged with a 1-0 victory to put themselves in a strong position in Group F.
However, after that game, arguably the most attractive fixture, certainly for people following the action from England and Scotland in the UK, is the clash between the two ‘auld enemies’ at Wembley on Friday evening (8pm Kick Off UK Time).
With the Germany v Portugal clash set to follow on Saturday, it is a crucial two days of action in the tournament that could have a huge bearing on whether Scotland and even Germany will continue in this tournament, or whether they will drag themselves back into contention in their respective groups.
For this article, we are going to be focusing on the game at Wembley on Friday night and of course, if you would like to enjoy a wager on the game, then bet365 Sport offers a fantastic selection of bets, not just on this game, but on the Euros and many different other football tournaments throughout the year.
Remember too, you can follow all the action at the Euros from the United States of America with a number of sportsbook sites that operate in multiple states. BetRivers is a great example of this as it is available across a number of different states and the site offers extensive soccer betting for US customers.
Let’s first set the scene for Friday’s Battle of Britain by taking a look at the long history between these two neighbours and footballing rivals.
England V Scotland – The Oldest International Fixture
These two teams are old rivals having met 114 times in total, England winning 48 of those games, Scotland
41 and 25 games between the two have finished as draws.
The first fixture between the two was in Hamilton, Scotland and 4,000 people watched on as the first international fixture between the two rivals finished as a 0-0 draw. However, in those early years, Scotland held the advantage over their rivals from the south, winning 9 of the first 13 games between the teams, while England managed just two wins (with two draws).
That included a record win over England of 7-2 in March 1878.
After a number of friendlies, the British Home Championship began towards the end of the 19th century and for over 100 years, the teams met almost every year producing a number of memorable games in the process.
In 1961, England defeated Scotland 9-3 at Wembley with Scottish keeper Frank Haffey taking the blame for the heaviest ever Scots defeat. Jimmy Greaves scored a hattrick that day with Johnny Haynes and Bobby Smith also contributing two goals apiece.
However in 1967, Scotland ended England’s long winning record to defeat the new World Champions 3-2 at Wembley.
Since the British Home Championship ended in 1984, the fixture has been played far less frequently and since then it is England who have enjoyed greater success in the games when they have been played with some notable wins in key fixtures between the two.
In fact, Scotland have won just one of the last 11 games between the teams.
Most Recent England V Scotland Matches
2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
- Nov 2016 – England 3-0 Scotland
- Jun 2017 – Scotland 2-2 England
2000 European Championships Playoffs
- Nov 1999 – Scotland 0-2 England
- Nov 1999 – England 0-1 Scotland (England win 2-1 on aggregate)
1996 European Championship Finals Group Stage
- Jun 1996 – England 2-0 Scotland
Back at Euro 1996, goals from Alan Shearer and Paul Gascoigne handed England a 2-0 victory over
Scotland in their group at the tournament. England would go on to top the group after a 4-1 win over Holland, but Patrick Kluivert’s solitary goal for the Dutch was enough to put them through ahead of the Scots in second place in the group.
The teams met three years later in a playoff for Euro 2000. England took the advantage in the first game at Hampden Park, Paul Scholes netting twice in the first half to give England a 2-0 win. However, at Wembley Don Hutchison’s goal gave Scotland real hope but England hung on to knock out the Scots and move through to the finals.
The most recent clashes between the teams came when they were drawn in the same qualifying group for the 2018 World Cup Finals in Russia. In the first game at Wembley, England ran out comfortable 3-0 winners, Sturridge, Lallana and Cahill grabbing the goals.
However, the Three Lions were fortunate to grab a draw in the return leg a few months later. Alex Oxlade Chamberlain put England in front in the second half but two stunning Leigh Griffiths free kicks put the Scots in front in the last few minutes. However, an injury time leveller from Harry Kane gave England the draw.
Group D Standings
- Czech Republic – 3pts (+2)
- England – 3pts (+1)
- Croatia – 0pts (-1)
- Scotland – 0pts (-2)
Results
- England 1-0 Croatia (Sterling)
- Scotland 0-2 Czech Republic (Schick 2)
England Team News
England manager Gareth Southgate could have a fully fit squad to select from for this game after central defender Harry Maguire declared himself fit for the fixture. With Jordan Henderson also back in training, Southgate has the luxury of a full squad to pick from. However, after the win over Croatia, he may elect to keep the same team that earned his team three points with a solid performance on Sunday.
- Possible England XI – (4-2-3-1) – Pickford, Walker, Trippier, Stones, Mings, Rice, Phillips, Mount, Foden, Sterling, Kane.
Scotland Team News
Steve Clarke will probably make a couple of changes to the team that faced the Czech Republic in their
opener on Monday. With Kieran Tierney likely to be fit, he will likely come in as one of the three centre backs and after a solid performance as a substitute, Che Adams may have played himself into the team too.
- Possible Scotland XI – (5-3-2) – Marshall, O’Donnell, Cooper, Hanley, Tierney, Robertson, McTominay, McGinn, Forrest, Adams, Christie
England V Scotland Top Tips
There is no doubt that Scotland’s need for at least a point, if not all three, is more pressing than England’s at the moment, but having said that, Gareth Southgate will want to play as many of his team’s games at Wembley as he can and he can only achieve that by winning the group.
As such, England have every reason to want a win here too, not least because it would assure them of a place in the Knockout Phase with one game left in the group and for which they could rest some key players.
This Scotland side is one that has improved since they were beaten 3-0 in their last visit to Wembley and I can see them scoring a goal here, but I just feel England at home are so difficult to beat and I think that the Three Lions will emerge with the win.
Therefore my trio of tips for this game are as follows:
- Match Winner – England – 3/10
- Correct Score – England 3-1 Scotland – 14/1
- Anytime Goalscorer – Harry Kane (England) – 8/11
*All odds shown were correct with bet365 Sport as of 11.30am on Thursday 17th June 2021.
