Betting: Three Lions to roar to victory over old enemy Scotland
MUCH has changed in the 144 years since England and Scotland first met in international football, but the rivalry is no less intense.
Both sides, who played the 1-2-7 and 2-2-6 formations respectively, were on the pitch for 90 minutes with no break and were due to change ends after each goal.
Unfortunately for the 4,000 fans at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground, the game finished 0-0.
The 112 matches that have followed have seen moments that have passed into football folklore – Jimmy Greaves’ hat-trick in 1961, Scotland fans swinging on the crossbar in 1977 and Gazza’s ‘dentist chair’ goal in 1996.
England haven’t faced Scotland in a competitive match since a 2-1 aggregate win in 1999 – though that doesn’t mean their two friendly wins in 2013 and 2014 were anything less than fiery.
Wayne Rooney scored twice in the last of those games, a bad-tempered clash at Celtic Park in front of 55,000 which the Three Lions won 3-1. Slightly different from that first fixture in 1872.
Both teams come into this match with plenty to prove.
Gareth Southgate’s England tenure started as expected, with a routine 2-0 win over Malta, before a dreary goalless draw away at Slovenia.
With the full-time job on the line, Southgate will need a far better performance from a side that rarely gets the blood pumping.
If England’s last international break was disappointing, Scotland’s was disastrous, drawing 1-1 at home to Lithuania and then being thumped 3-0 in Slovakia.
Qualification for a first major tournament since 1998 seems a long way off for Gordan Strachan’s men.
The relative class of England should tell over a poor Scottish outfit, but I can’t see it being a thriller.
Scotland’s last three visits to Wembley have all been level at the break, as have two of England’s three qualifiers so far.
The Draw HT/England FT double result is 3/1 with Betway and that looks a decent bet.
Neither of these two score many goals – England have just three so far in a fairly poor group.
I will therefore be selling total goals at 2.5 with Sporting Index.
Pointers
Draw HT/England FT – 3/1 (Betway)
Sell total goals – 2.5 (Sporting Index)