The Auld Enemies will once again face off on Tuesday night. Scotland v England holds a special place in the hearts of both sets of fans and the game at Hampden Park this week should prove to be a cracker.
With both sides having a break from their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, the two FA’s were quick to agree the fixture to commemorate the 150th anniversary of their first encounter.
That game also is recognised by FIFA as the very first international game in football history.
Later on, we will be bringing you the latest betting odds on the game from bet365 Sport, including our tips for some of the best bets to back on it.
But for now, let’s take a closer look back at the history of this iconic and fiercest of rivalries.
The First Ever Football International
The very first international football match in history took place in Hamilton Crescent in Scotland in front of a crowd of just 4,000 people.
William Keay was the referee of the contest which saw the following two team’s line up:
Scotland – Robert Gardner (Capt), William Ker, Robert Leckie, William MacKinnon, Alexander Rhind, Robert Smith, James Smith I, Joseph Taylor, James Thomson, James Weir, David Wotherspoon.
England – Robert C Barker, John Maynard, Frederick P Chappell, Ernest Greenhalgh, John Brockbank, Charles Chenery, John Clegg, Charles Morice, Cuthbert Ottaway (Capt), Arnold Smith, Reginald De Courtenay Welch
In contrast with the freescoring nature of other early games between the two teams, this very first contest finished in a 0-0 draw.
So successful was the game, it was decided that the game would become an annual contest.
It was the Scots that enjoyed the better of things in the early years of this rivalry, as of the first 12 games played between the two, the Scots won eight, England just two with two games drawn.
The Scots also won the first competitive game between the two, earning a 1-0 win in the first British Home Championship in 1884.
So would begin the longest and one of the fiercest rivalries in international football.
Scotland v England – Head-to-Head
For many years, the teams met almost every season, but after the Home Championship was disbanded, meetings between the two have become far less frequent since the 1980s.
As such, the teams have now met a total 115 times.
- Matches Played – 115
- Scotland Wins – 41
- England Wins – 48
- Draws – 26
Last Ten Games
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Home Scorers | Away Scorers |
| 18/06/21 | England | 0-0 | Scotland | ||
| 10/06/17 | Scotland | 2-2 | England | Griffiths 87,90 | Oxlade-Chamberlain 70, Kane 90 |
| 11/11/16 | England | 3-0 | Scotland | Sturridge 23, Lallana 50, Cahill 61 | |
| 18/11/14 | Scotland | 1-3 | England | Robertson 83 | Oxlade-Chamberlain 32, Rooney 47,85 |
| 14/08/13 | England | 3-2 | Scotland | Walcott 29, Welbeck 53, Lambert 70 | Morrison 11, Miller 49 |
| 17/11/99 | England | 0-1 | Scotland | Hutchison 39 | |
| 13/11/99 | Scotland | 0-2 | England | Scholes 21,42 | |
| 15/06/96 | England | 2-0 | Scotland | Shearer 53, Gascoigne 79 | |
| 27/05/89 | Scotland | 0-2 | England | Waddle 20, Bull 82 | |
| 21/05/88 | England | 1-0 | Scotland | Beardsley 11 |
Trends & Facts
- Scotland have won 2 (and drawn 4) of the last 15 games between the two.
- Both teams have scored in just four of the last 11 games between the two.
- Scotland are unbeaten in their last nine games (8 wins, 1 draw),
- England are unbeaten in their last five games (4 wins 1 draw)
- Both teams have scored in just one of Scotland’s last six games.
- Scotland’s last win over England in Scotland came in 1985, a 1-0 win
Legends of the Scotland v England Game
Outlined below are some of the legends to have featured for Scotland or England in this contest over the years.
Scotland Legends
- Managers – Ian McColl, Jock Stein, Bobby Brown, Tommy Docherty, Willie Ormond, Ally MacLeod, Andy Roxburgh, Craig Brown, Gordon Strachan
- Goalkeepers – Alan Rough, Andy Goram, Jim Leighton, Craig Gordon
- Defenders – Sandy Jardine, Danny McGrain, Jim Holton, Ron Yeats, Alan Hansen, Willie Miller, Alex McLeish, Billy McNeill, John Greig, George Young, Martin Buchan, Gordon McQueen, Colin Hendry, Steve Clarke, Richard Gough, David Narey, Frank Gray
- Midfielders – Dave Mackay, Gordon Strachan, Graeme Souness, Jim Baxter, Jimmy Johnstone, Billy Bremner, Scott Brown, Davie Cooper, Tommy Burns, Archie Gemmill, Don Masson, Bruce Rioch, Gary MacAllister, Craig Brown, Murdo MacLeod, John Wark, John Robertson
- Attackers – Kenny Dalglish, James McFadden, Derek Johnstone, Denis Law, Joe Jordan, Steve Archibald, Mark McGee, Ally McCoist, Kenny Miller, Kris Boyd, Hughie Gallacher, Eddie Gray, Peter Lorimer
England Legends
- Managers – Walter Winterbottom, Alf Ramsey, Don Revie, Ron Greenwood, Bobby Robson, Terry Venables, Kevin Keegan, Roy Hodgson
- Goalkeepers – Gordon Banks, Ray Clemence, Peter Shilton, Chris Woods, David Seaman, Joe Hart
- Defenders – Ray Wilson, George Cohen, Bobby Moore, Jack Charlton, Billy Wright, Kenny Sansom, Stuart Pearce, Phil Neal, Phil Thompson, Dave Watson, Terry Butcher, Des Walker, Tony Adams, Sol Campbell, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Mick Mills, Rio Ferdinand
- Midfielders – Trevor Brooking, Martin Peters, Nobby Stiles, Alan Ball, Duncan Edwards, Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney, Steve Coppell, Bryan Robson, Glenn Hoddle, Ray Wilkins, Paul Gascoigne, Chris Waddle, John Barnes, Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, David Beckham
- Attackers – Jimmy Greaves, Nat Lofthouse, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Geoff Hurst, Roger Hunt, Wayne Rooney, Bobby Charlton, Michael Owen, Dixie Dean, Kevin Keegan, Tommy Lawton, Trevor Francis
Top 5 Classic Clashes
15th April 1961 – England 9-3 Scotland
Scottish goalkeeper Frank Haffey never lived down the ignominy of conceding nine goals to England at Wembley in 1961. A Scottish team that consisted of Denis Law, Ian St John, Billy McNeill and Dave Mackay were soundly beaten by England for whom Jimmy Greaves scored a hattrick and Johnny Haynes and Bobby Smith grabbed a brace each.
15th April 1967 – England 2-3 Scotland
Six years to the day the Scots suffered their worst Wembley defeat, they gained revenge over the current World Champions with a fantastic win at Wembley in the European Championship Qualifiers. Denis Law put the Scots in front in the first half and with England hampered by injuries to three players, Bobby Lennox made it 0-2 on the 78th minute. England pulled one back through Jack Charlton but Jim McAlliog made it 1-3 for Scotland. A late Geoff Hurst goal wasn’t enough to stop the Scots beating England and proclaiming themselves the new World Champions.
4th June 1977 – England 1-2 Scotland
Ally MacLeod’s talented Scotland team inflicted a damaging defeat on England in 1977. Backed by thousands of Scots who had taken over Wembley, goals from Gordon McQueen and Kenny Dalglish had put the Scots 2-0 ahead. A late Mick Channon penalty wasn’t enough to rescue England. After the final whistle the Scottish fans invaded the pitch and tore down the goal posts at Wembley in raucous celebration of their team’s win.
26th May 1979 – England 3-1 Scotland
England were seeking revenge for their 2-1 defeat to the Scots at Wembley a couple of years ago. They had beaten Scotland 1-0 at Hampden in 1978, but they wanted to get the win here on home soil. John Wark put the Scots ahead from a cut back from Kenny Dalglish after 21 minutes. However just on half time, Peter Barnes struck a shot past George Wood to level the game. Wood failed to hold onto a Ray Wilkins shot allowing Steve Coppell to put England 2-1 up. Then came one of the iconic goals of this rivalry. An England break saw Keegan and Brooking combine with a fantastic 1-2 pass that saw Keegan race on to slot home and give England a 3-1 win.
10th June 2017 – Scotland 2-2 England
It took 70 minutes for this game to really take hold but the finale was one of the best ever in the history of this famous clash. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain put England ahead in the 70th minute but late in the game, England gave away a free kick from which Leigh Griffiths scored. Three minutes later Griffiths struck another stunning free kick to put the Scots in front. However, straight from the kick off Harry Kane volleyed home at the back post to rescue a point for England in a pulsating end to the game.
Scotland v England – Preview of Next Game
- Date – Tuesday 12th September
- Kick Off – 7.45pm
- Venue – Hampden Park, Glasgow
- Referee – To Be Announced
Scotland Preview
- Manager – Steve Clarke
- Euro 24 Qualifiers Record – Group A – 1st, P5, 15pts (+11) – 2 more points needed from last 3 games to guarantee qualification.
- Form (Last 5) – WWWWW
Team News
Scotland are in fantastic form at the moment. They are unbeaten in their last nine games and now need just two points from their final three games in qualifying to reach the Euro 2024 finals. They’ve won eight of those games and look in exceptional form.
Scotland Predicted Team and Formation (3-4-2-1)
| GK | Angus Gunn |
| DCL | Kieran Tierney |
| DC | Jack Hendry |
| DCR | Ryan Porteous |
| MC | Billy Gilmore |
| MC | Callum McGregor |
| DML | Andy Robertson |
| DMR | Aaron Hickey |
| AMC | John McGinn |
| AMC | Scott McTominay |
| AC | Che Adams |
England Preview
- Manager – Gareth Southgate
- Euro 24 Qualifiers Record – Group C – 1st, 13pts (+14)
- Form (Last 5) – DWWWW
Team News
A disappointing performance ended with a draw against the Ukraine on Saturday, but with Italy drawing with North Macedonia, it means Group C is as it was. England remain in control of their own destiny with three games to go. Two wins would be enough for them to claim qualification for the Euros next summer, most likely as group winners.
England Predicted Team and Formation (4-2-3-1)
| GK | Jordan Pickford |
| DR | Kyle Walker |
| DL | Ben Chilwell |
| DC | Marc Guehi |
| DC | Harry Maguire |
| DMC | Declan Rice |
| DMC | Kalvin Phillips |
| AMC | Jude Bellingham |
| AML | James Maddison |
| AMR | Bukayo Saka |
| AC | Harry Kane |
Current Betting Odds with bet365 Sport
- Scotland To Win – 10/3
- Draw – 14/5
- England To Win – 3/4
*All odds shown in this article were correct at the time of writing with bet365 Sport, but may have changed in the meantime.
Our 3 Top Tips for Scotland v England
- Tip 1 – Draw – 14/5
- Tip 2 – Draw and Both Teams to Score – Yes – 4/1
- Tip 3 – Correct Score – Scotland 1-1 England – 13/2
