Scotland boss Gordon Strachan will be hoping that his team can record the first home victory over England in 29 years
England travels to neighbours Scotland for a friendly this evening, knowing that they are in for an explosive reception from the home fans at Celtic Park.
The Scottish team could use their partisan home crowd to the full advantage.
Friendly
This game is classified as a friendly game, but games between these two neighbours are usually feisty affairs. The fans tend to stoke the coals of the rivalry, especially the Scots who are fiercely patriotic.
The police are on standby in Glasgow in case of potential trouble brewing ahead of the high-profile friendly game.
The mere fact that the police are preparing for trouble tells you a lot about the nature of this fixture and friendly is not quite the right word to use to describe the clash.
Wins
Both teams head into this clash on the back of wins. Scotland’s 1-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland on Friday night left the Scots with a decent chance of qualifying for the finals of Euro 2016. The win will have lifted confidence among players and fans alike.
Gordon Strachan’s team will head into this game in confident mood and looking to get one over the old enemy.
Meanwhile England recorded their fifth straight victory on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over Slovenia. The win was Roy Hodgson’s fourth straight Euro 2016 qualifying win and kept the Three Lions at the top of their group.
During the last five matches Hodgson’s team have conceded just one goal, which was Jordan Henderson’s unfortunate own goal against the Slovenians.
Challenge
The trip to Glasgow could be difficult for an England team that was not overly convincing last time out against Slovenia. England boss Roy Hodgson could field a much-changed team, with the likes of Ross Barkley and young striker Saido Berahino in with a chance of starting the game.
The area of the field that may have concerned Hodgson most from the Slovenia game is the midfield. Arsenal star Jack Wilshere was the only player out of the midfield quartet that came out of the game with any credit at all. Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana and Raheem Sterling all had games to forget.
The result may depend on what sort of team that the England boss decides to pick. If he picks an experimental side then the game could be very interesting, with players looking to grab their opportunity with both hands.
History
Recent history really is not on Scotland’s side in this fixture. The Scots have not beaten their neighbours on home soil in 29 years. Scotland defeated England 1-0 in 1985 at Hampden, but since then have drawn one game and lost two at home against the Three Lions.
In fact, they have beaten England more recently away from home with Don Hutchinson scoring to help the Scots claim a famous 1-0 win at Wembley in qualifying for Euro 2000.
England defeated the Scots 3-2 at Wembley last season and the Tartan Army will be looking for their side to avenge that defeat in this evening’s fixture.
Dangerous
Scotland have some dangerous players in their team such as Everton’s Steven Naismith, who has enjoyed his most consistent campaign since arriving on Merseyside. The former-Rangers has shown tremendous intelligence and movement for the Toffees this season and could be a key player for the Scots.
Another player who may cause England problems is Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher. The striker has endured a horrendous few years through injuries, but has rediscovered his scoring touch with the Black Cats scoring four goals in his last five Premier League appearances.
Betting News
This will not be an easy game for England that is for sure and with the Scots confidence high from the victory over Ireland they could just sneak a historic shock victory over the Three Lions.
Can Scotland record a historic home victory over England?
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