Scotland-England is a friendly and is played Tuesday at 8:45 p.m.: news, stats, TV, streaming, likely lineups, predictions.
A special friendly. A friendly to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first international soccer match, which was staged Nov. 30, 1872 at Hamilton Crescent, a former cricket stadium in the Scottish city of Glasgow. Opposing Scotland and England, the two “progenitors” of today’s most popular and most played sport in the world.
Who will meet again, again in Glasgow – this time the stadium is Hampden Park, the one that usually hosts Tartan Army matches – to remember that moment and pay tribute to the so-called pioneers of the game. The match is being played almost a year late for a very simple reason: last November England was engaged in the Qatari World Cup. Both, now, are focused on qualifying for the upcoming European Championships but, barring any unlikely upsets, the pass to Germany is virtually mortgaged. Scotland surprisingly leads Spain’s group: after five days it has scored the most points, 15, and in the event of a draw between Norway and Georgia could even celebrate at the end of the game. England also now has qualification in the bag: last Saturday they missed one of their first match points, drawing 1-1 against Ukraine, but the celebration is only postponed. Both Steve Clarke’s and Gareth Southgate’s men will be able to challenge each other head-to-head, with no other thoughts on their minds.
Scotland’s tally in confrontations with historic rivals England is 41 wins and 48 losses although the last two meetings ended in draws (2-2 and 0-0).
Clarke and Southgate
Clarke will take this friendly seriously, fielding a similar eleven to the one that swept Cyprus (0-3) last Saturday. Some changes instead for Southgate: in the trident it will be Foden and Rashord’s turn to support Kane. Chances also for Gallagher and Colwill.
The Prediction
When Scotland and England clash, motivation is hardly lacking: both are keen to do well, so it will be a real game. The Scots are in a good moment, which is why we expect an entertaining match, with both teams scoring.
The probable lineups of Scotland-England
- SCOTLAND (3-4-2-1): Gunn; Porteous, Hendry, Tierney; Patterson, S. Armstrong, McGregor, Robertson; McTominay, McGinn; Dykes.
- INGHILTERRA (4-3-3): Pickford; Walker, Maguire, Colwill, Chilwell; Gallagher, Rice, Bellingham; Foden, Kane, Rashford.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-2
