Friday 11th November 2016 Kickoff: 1945hrs
England v Scotland
Football – International – World Cup Qualifiers
The Auld Enemy meet in competitive action for the first time since 1999 on Friday, as England host Scotland at Wembley. The draw for qualification of the 2018 World Cup paired the two old rivals together and both sets of supporters have been looking forward to this game ever since December. The build up to the match has been overshadowed by the ‘poppygate’ affair as both Football Associations look set to defy FIFA by wearing poppies on their jerseys. Hopefully that’s the only off-the-field issue we are talking about come full time as we can enjoy football’s oldest football rivalry.
England have had to contend with the dismissal of a manager already in this campaign following the scandal involving Sam Allardyce. Having only been in charge for one game in the group (one they won 1-0 away in Slovakia), Allardyce has now departed with Gareth Southgate assuming temporary charge, with the possibility of taking over permanently depending on results. His first two games in charge have been rather uninspiring as England laboured to a 2-0 victory at home to minnows Malta, before escaping Slovenia with a solitary point in a game they could easily have lost. Seven points from their first three games has them set at the top of the section – a position that many expect them to fill come the end of this campaign. However, on the back of such a disappointing performance at the summer’s European Championships, England supporters will be looking for a marked improvement on Friday in a game that means much more than just the qualification points.
Scotland got off to the best possible start with a comprehensive 6-1 win away in Malta and it raised expectations that this would finally be the group they could progress from and reach their first major tournament since 1998. That hope and expectation never lasted long, though, as the Scots managed only one point from their next two games. An extremely underwhelming 1-1 draw at home to Lithuania was followed by a 3-0 loss in Slovakia meaning Gordon Strachan’s men already face an uphill battle to even finish second and the possibility of a playoff spot. Usually playing away to the top seeds in the group would prevent you from targeting that fixture as a potential three points but such is the last couple of results, Scotland are in huge need as they make the trip south. Strachan himself has come in for a lot of criticism since the last international break with many questioning his team selections and continuance to play certain players who are either not of the required level or are out of form. He remains in post at the moment, but failure to get a result against England could well change that.
Southgate has stuck mainly with the tried and trusted in a bid to get maximum points from Friday’s game and will be looking to his experienced players to ensure there is no surprise. Of course, much of the attention has been centred around captain Wayne Rooney who cannot seem to escape the debate around whether he should be starting or not, for club or country. He was dropped for the last qualifier in Slovenia and it remains to be seen if he is recalled for this game. In his favour has been his inclusion in the last two games for United from the start, one of which is scored an excellent goal in. Harry Kane has also returned to the squad following injury and having started and scored in the recent North London derby, he could well be recalled to the starting line-up for England. One man who will definitely retain his place is goalkeeper Joe Hart who, despite calls for him to be dropped earlier in the season, was outstanding and the main reason England secured a point last time out.
Strachan has also not been able to escape the spotlight being placed on his team selection and much of that has been on Celtic’s Leigh Griffiths. The Scotland manager has preferred Chris Martin or Steven Fletcher as his lone striker in the first three games, despite neither being prolific. Griffiths is not a certain starter for his club either these days but he remains Scotland’s biggest goal threat and when substituted on against Slovakia his incisive running was responsible for creating two or three very good chances. Strachan’s lack of options in the centre of defence has been a real issue for his whole tenure and it continues to be an area that is likely to be targeted by the opposition. Another controversy in his squad selection was the return of (former) captain Scott Brown who announced his retirement from international football back in August before this campaign got underway. Brown has been in splendid form for his club Celtic this term and has seemingly had a change of heart by making himself available for the game at Wembley. It’s unknown whether this is a one off or he intends to complete the campaign.
England v Scotland Betting Tips
You cannot get away from the tradition and history that surrounds this fixture and that will make both games extremely special. There has been some epic battles between these two nations down the years and when you consider the great players that have contested these games down the years, it whets the appetite for the first meaningful game since England edged the spoils in the playoff for Euro 2000. The reality is these days that England are a much superior outfit, however, and are simply a much stronger team than their Scottish counterparts. When you consider how lacking England were at the Euro’s, then it’s an indication of how far Scotland have to go in order to be realistic contenders for major championships. That said, anything can happen in a one off game.
Being Scottish myself, siding against my nation is not an easy thing to do but I fear the worst for Strachan and his team on Friday. The last two qualifiers, combined with real failings in the second half of the Euro 2016 qualifiers, does not bode well for their chances in this one. England have their own problems but I think this type of game will bring the best out in some of their underperforming stars and they can take advantage of the deficiencies in Scotland’s defence. The visitors may well put up some resistance and are likely to be a threat at set pieces. They scored twice on their recent trip to Wembley in a friendly and they could well get on the score sheet again, but the bet I like here is for England to win the game for there to be three or more goals scored in the game.
England to win and Over 2.5 goals scored 13/10 @ Coral
