England is running away with Group F in UEFA’s World Cup qualifying as they have 13 points from five games played. Scotland is in fourth place with seven points as they host England on Saturday at Hampden Park in a game where the points are crucial, but the rivalry is even bigger as these two teams share the mantle of the oldest in the world, and they played the first international match in soccer history in 1872.
What You Need To Know About Scotland
Scotland pipped out a 1-0 win over Slovenia in Glasgow in March to stay in the hunt, but that was their first win in six games. The main reason is that goals have been hard to come by as Scotland has scored three goals in their last five games since beating Malta 5-1 in September 2016, and those three goals have all come from different players in James MacArthur, Steven Naismith and Chris Martin. Manager Gordon Strachan might be in big trouble if Scotland fails to qualify for the World Cup, but it is not their fault as Scotland simply doesn’t have many players up front that are good enough for that level, and they’re not good enough at the back to hold the fort. It’s going to be tough for Scotland going forward, but they’ll be gritty and the fans should be up for this match, if nothing else.
What You Need To Know About England
England has lost once since their embarrassing 2-1 loss to Iceland at Euro 2016, and that one loss was to Germany away in March in a friendly by a score of 1-0. Jermain Defoe and Jamie Vardy scored in a 2-0 qualifying win over Lithuania in March following that loss, but the key for England is Harry Kane, whose 29 goals for Tottenham lead the Premier League. He scored 35 overall, but he really hasn’t hit that form for his country and the onus is on manager Gareth Southgate to put his striker in positions to be successful. England has other attacking options such as Marcus Rashford as well, and Dele Alli can score from midfield, but they need Kane more than anyone. At the back, England is solid enough, especially for a match like this.
Outlook
England has six wins in their last seven games against Scotland, who did win 1-0 at Wembley Stadium in a Euro qualifying game in 1999. England rolled ton a 3-0 win at home in November with goals coming from Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill, and they’ve scored three goals in each of their last three games against Scotland. It’ll be likely more of the same here on Saturday as Scotland simply doesn’t have the horses to keep up with England, although it might look to be close at the half. Look for England wear Scotland down and once one goal goes in, the floodgates should open as England should cruise to a win, although the game will be chippy as these matches tend to usually be.
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