Kick Off: 1700, 10/06/2017
Stadium: Hampden Park
TV: ITV
England will travel to Hampden Park for their next World Cup qualifier as clear leaders in Group F but Scotland rekindled their hopes of reaching Russia 2018 with a welcome win last time out.
The Three Lions have won seven of their last eight head-to-head encounters but the Scots will be fired up for this clash and full of confidence in front of their fanatical fans.
We reckon the hosts are overpriced at 4/1 and a win for Gordon Strachan’s side is the first of our Scotland vs England betting tips.
A Look At Scotland’s Betting Odds
Two straight 3-0 defeats away to Slovakia and England had Scotland reeling on the ropes with regards their World Cup qualification hopes but the Tartan Army can still dream of a trip to Russia next summer following Chris Martin’s late strike in March’s 1-0 win over Slovenia.
Scotland may have had to wait until the 88th minute to clinch that much-needed victory but they were worthy winners after dominating possession with more than 60 per cent of the play, having nine corners to one conceded and firing in 16 shots, compared to four from the visitors.
“The campaign hasn’t gone to plan so far but I think the win puts us right back in the mix and gives us some momentum going into the England game,” said Martin, with Scotland now just two points off second place. “We hope this is the turning point. We should take encouragement and confidence from this and try and push forward.”
Strachan has no concerns about his team and has urged his players to play to their strengths. At his pre-match press conference, he said: “The enthusiasm the players have had and the time they’ve put in this week…they’re ready, they’re ready for the game, physically and mentally.
“We have real assets in our team and real assets as a group. It’s going to be well used, we’ve got to use what we’re good at. What we have in our group is enthusiasm, fitness and determination so we must use that. Within that we must relax when we have the ball, have no fear when we have the ball.”
Looking at the Scotland vs England odds, the hosts are 21/10 to win or draw.
A Look At England’s Betting Odds
England will be a tough nut to crack, though, after keeping a fifth straight clean sheet in this pool when beating Lithuania 2-0, with veteran striker Jermain Defoe and Jamie Vardy both finishing smartly following well-worked moves.
With 13 points, England are four clear of nearest rivals Slovakia and six ahead of Scotland, with Gareth Southgate commenting: “We’d have liked more goals but really only one team came to win the game and it’s always difficult to break down a packed defence.”
The visitors, with Harry Kane as captain, are clear favourites on the strength of their consistency and that 3-0 success over Scotland at Wembley last November but Strachan’s side caused their old rivals plenty of problems in that fixture and could turn things around if just a bit more clinical in front of goal this time.
Celtic midfielder Stuart Armstrong definitely added some creative flair on his international debut and should be even more influential with that experience to benefit him when England visit.
Additional stats
Last result:
SCOTLAND 1-0 Slovenia – Chris Martin
ENGLAND 2-0 Lithuania – Jermain Defoe, Jamie Vardy
Head-to-head: England 3-0 Scotland, Scotland 1-3 England, England 3-2 Scotland, England 0-1 Scotland, Scotland 0-2 England, England 2-0 Scotland.
