Football’s oldest rivalry resumes on Friday when England face Scotland on match day two in Group D of Euro 2020.
Gareth Southgate’s men started steadily in their opening match, with Raheem Sterling scoring the decisive goal in a 1-0 victory over World Cup 2018 finalists Croatia. And even though it currently does not hold pole position, that victory puts them nicely to secure the top spot in the group.
Scotland, on the other hand, has started in a not so solid way. Steve Clarke’s side were beaten 2-0 by the Czech Republic when Patrik Schick was catching up – the second of his goals was an outrageous 50-lob.
It leaves them bottom in Group D and in desperate need of a result at Wembley. Here is a 90 min preview of the game.
Fans will once again be talking Wembley Stadium for this Euro 2020 match / Catherine Ivill / Getty Images
When is kick off? Friday 18 June, 20:00 (BST)Where is the match played? Wembley StadiumWhich TV channel is it on? ITVWho is the judge? Antonio Mateu LahozWho is WHERE? Alejandro Hernandez
* You can find out how you watch each Euro 2020 game here.
There is a new face in the England camp after goalkeeper Dean Henderson was forced to withdraw from the squad due to a hip injury. That resulted in a call for Aaron Ramsdale, although the Sheffield United striker is unlikely to appear for the Three Lions.
Harry Maguire May Be Sufficient to Meet Scotland / Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA / Getty Images
It remains to be seen if Harry Maguire will be considered fit enough to join on Friday, but Southgate will likely give the Manchester United captain more time to recover and instead stick with John Stones and Tyrone Mings – who impressed at the same time. they kept clean goals against Croatia.
However, there may be a change in the hill. Kyle Walker was not the best in the first game, and that could allow Kieran Trippier to return to his favored opposition, while Luke Shaw came in this week.
Kieran Tierney joined his team-mates in training after Scotland’s 2-0 loss on match day, and Clarke believes the defender has a chance to play against England on Friday – if he can, he will.
There may also be a change of packaging higher up in the field. The introduction of Billy Gilmour and Che Adams to starting XI has been largely in demand to give the shots the momentum and edge they need to overcome Southgate’s side.
Che Adams looked sharp after entering the pitch against the Czech Republic / Ian MacNicol / Getty Images
England: Pickford; Trippier, Stones, Mings, Shaw; Phillips, rice; Foden, Mount, Sterling; Kane
Scotland: Marshall; McTominay, Hanley, Tierney; O’Donnell, McGinn, Armstrong, Gilmour, Robertson; Dykes, Adams
Not surprisingly, there have been many battles between these two nations – which were presented in the first international match ever. Football’s oldest rivalry has been played 114 times, with England winning 48, Scotland winning 41 and 25 matches ending the all-square.
#OnThisDay 1872 the first international football match between England and Scotland was played. 4000 fans watched 0-0 draw pic.twitter.com/Kt6mbm8LSH
– FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) November 30, 2015
Scotland actually dominated its neighbors for a while after the first meeting had taken place. In the 1870s and 1880s, Scotland won 11 of the first 17 matches, while England came out on top only twice.
But football has changed since then. England is now the dominant force between the two, having won eight of its last 11 meetings and is undefeated in the century.
What an opportunity.
It’s been 25 years since the Paul Gascoigne goal, and while we may not see anything so magical on Friday, Southgate has some true wizards at its disposal. A front lighthouse by Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount and Phil Foden (Gazza reincarnated) – with the likes of Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford also available – should simply be too much for Scotland’s back line to handle.
Phil Foden can shine on Friday night / Robin Jones / Getty Images
But the form guide usually goes out the window when these two teams meet. Pride, passion and an insatiable desire to win take over, which will be driven by Scotland’s need to pick up three points.
Although they are usually difficult to break down by playing three central defenders, it will be a time that Scotland need to go after the match – and it could enable England’s creative players to take advantage of the space and end their Euro 2020 hopes.
Prediction: England 2-0 Scotland
