Scotland hosted England in a special friendly to mark the 150th anniversary of the first international fixture played between the two nations. Fans flocked to Hampden Park for the latest renewal of this old rivalry hoping to see the hosts continue their impressive form but it was England who dominated the first half.
They controlled the tempo and created the better early chances as Steve Clarke’s men failed to get to grips with the match. Phil Foden broke the deadlock with a deft touch to turn Kyle Walker’s skewed shot into the back of the net before an exceptional Jude Bellingham doubled the lead three minutes later when he latched onto Andy Robertson’s miscontrolled ball inside the penalty area.
Harry Maguire was brought on at half-time but his bad luck continued as he deflected an Andy Robertson pass past Aaron Ramsdale to keep Scotland in the hunt but a superb pass from Bellingham to feed Harry Kane ended the host’s hopes as the England captain netted the third with less than 10 minutes to play.
Relive the action from Hampden Park right here:
Scotland vs England
Jude Bellingham makes centre stage his own as England’s youngest star sees off oldest rivals
England defeated Scotland 3-1 in a special friendly at Hampden Park
The match was played to celebrate the 150th anniversary of when England and Scotland first played each other
Scottish fans boo England’s national anthem
81’ GOAL! – Kane scores after a fine pass from Bellingham (SCO 1-3 ENG)
67’ OWN GOAL! – Maguire comes off the bench and turns the ball into his own net (SCO 1-2 ENG)
51’ CHANCE! – Gilmour smokes a shot over the top from the edge of the box (SCO 0-2 ENG)
35 GOAL! – Bellingham latches onto Robertson’s mistake to double England’s lead (SCO 0-2 ENG)
32’ GOAL! – Foden turns in Walker’s miscued effort (SCO 0-1 ENG)
24’ CHANCE! – Walker fizzes a shot across goal (SCO 0-0 ENG)
18’ CHANCE! – Foden meets Rashford’s pass and lifts one over the top (SCO 0-0 ENG)
Jude Bellingham makes centre stage his own as England’s youngest star sees off oldest rivals
22:11 , Mike Jones
The oldest international rivalry was decided by the youngest player on the pitch. As Scotland and England marked 150 years since they first met, it was scarcely surprising the dominant figure was a man who has been alive for barely 20 of them.
Jude Bellingham has made a habit of excelling on foreign soil of late, becoming the Bundesliga’s player of the year, making a superlative start to life in Spain with Real Madrid and now inflicting a first defeat of 2023 on Scotland.
Bellingham played a part – two, really – in England’s first goal. He scored their second. He made their third for Harry Kane in wonderful fashion. A booking for a bust-up with Jack Hendry – it may be termed a bit of a stramash in these parts – was a sign of his competitive instincts.
Bellingham makes centre stage his own as England’s youngest star beats oldest rivals
England ‘tick every box’ but Scotland handed lesson on ‘enormous gap’ between teams, says Graeme Souness
22:29 , Mike Jones
Former Scotland midfielder Graeme Souness was unhapp his nation failed to show the level of determination and effort the magnitude of the encounter against England demanded.
Speaking on Channel 4 after the Three Lions triumphed 3-1, Souness noted that while the Scots have undoubtedly improved under Steve Clarke, they’ve been shown just how great the distance between themselves and the top nations remains by the ease in which England won.
Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored for the visitors, with the hosts unable to create much in the way of attacking chances, with Harry Maguire’s own goal their only consolation.
England ‘tick every box’ but Scotland handed lesson on ‘enormous gap’ between teams
FT Scotland 1-3 England
22:14 , Mike Jones
England earned their 600th victory in all competitions, becoming the first European nation to reach this milestone in international football.
FT Scotland 1-3 England
22:10 , Mike Jones
Norway held on against Georgia to win 2-1 in Oslo in their European qualifier. That means that Scotland haven’t qualified for Euro 2024 tonight though they will have a chance to do so on October 12.
If they beat Spain in Seville they’ll secure their spot at the Euros next year.
FT Scotland 1-3 England
22:07 , Mike Jones
Aaron Ramsdale didn’t have a save to make tonight and still conceded a goal thanks to Harry Maguire’s own goal. It will be an annoying thing for the Arsenal goalkeeper who is looking to displace Jordan Pickford as England’s No. 1.
Scotland vs England player ratings: Jude Bellingham the star amid Andy Robertson’s nightmare
21:49 , Mike Jones
Scotland hosted England in a 150th anniversary of their first-ever meeting; this time around it was the Three Lions who triumphed with a routine and comprehensive 3-1 victory.
Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham scored within minutes of each other in the first half, before Harry Maguire turned into his own net to close the gap past the hour mark.
Harry Kane wrapped up matters though as England took the bragging rights.
Here are the player ratings from Hampden Park:
Player ratings as Bellingham stars in England win over Scotland
FT Scotland 1-3 England
21:41 , Mike Jones
Jude Bellingham is the first England player to both score and assist a goal in a match against Scotland since Kevin Keegan in May 1979.
Full-time! Scotland 1-3 England
21:38 , Mike Jones
90+3 mins: There’s the full-time whistle! England win the 150th anniversary match against Scotland. Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham did the damage over three minutes in the first time before a mistake from Harry Maguire afforded Scotland a lifeline.
Harry Kane had other ideas though and restored England’s cushion to ensure they comfortably saw out the game.
Scotland 1-3 England
21:35 , Mike Jones
90 mins: Three minutes of added time to play at the end of this game.
Scotland 1-3 England
21:33 , Mike Jones
87 mins: Ryan Jack and Nathan Patterson come on for Scotland with Aaron Hickey and Callum McGregor heading off. Only a few minutes left to play at Hampden Park.
The spark has gone from the game now.
Scotland 1-3 England
21:28 , Mike Jones
84 mins: Conor Gallagher and Callum Wilson are now introduced for the final few minutes for England. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are the men to go off.
Bellingham was exceptional tonight along with Phil Foden who went off earlier in the second half.
GOAL! Scotland 1-3 England (Kane, 81’)⚽️
21:26 , Mike Jones
81 mins: Wonderful from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. Bellingham receives the ball just outside the Scotland box. He twists and weaves around Ryan Christie before slipping a perfectly weighted ball into the penalty area for Kane.
Kane feints a shot to move the goalkeeper across the line then guides a side-footed effort into the far corner. England’s two goal cushion is restored.
Scotland 1-2 England
21:24 , Mike Jones
79 mins: Kieran Tierney takes one for the team and stops Bukayo Saka from breaking up the pitch. He grabs Saka’s shirt and halts the run earning himself a yellow card in the process.
Scotland 1-2 England
21:20 , Mike Jones
76 mins: What a save Angus Gunn! Eberechi Eze has a golden chance to score his first England goal after a great touch on the edge of the box gets him in front of goal.
His second is straight at the goalkeeper but Gunn drops low and denies him. Jude Bellingham has another opportunity to score a couple of minutes later but sees his effort from inside the box blocked too.
Scotland 1-2 England
21:16 , Mike Jones
73 mins: Gareth Southgate reacts to the Scotland goal with a couple of changes. Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden go off the pitch with Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka brought on.
England will want to restore a their two goal lead. This could be a nervous quarter of an hour or so.
Scotland 1-2 England
21:15 , Mike Jones
70 mins: Andy Robertson is doing his best to get Scotland back into this game. He brings the ball down the left this time and lifts a fine cross into the box picking out John McGinn.
McGinn has a free header but sends the effort over the goal!
GOAL! Scotland 1-2 England (Maguire OG, 67’)
21:14 , Mike Jones
67 mins: Scotland are back in the game! John McGinn slips Andy Robertson the ball as he bursts up the pitch. The Scotland captain gets into the box and looks to curl a pass over to the far side.
Harry Maguire sticks out a leg but can’t control it. Instead he tips the ball past Aaron Ramsdale and into his own net.
Scotland 0-2 England
21:09 , Mike Jones
63 mins: Great defending from Lewis Dunk! Aaron Hickey brings the ball through the inside right channel and combines with John McGinn for a one-two.
When the ball comes back to him Hickey shoots but Dunk leaps in front of the effort and makes the block.
Scotland 0-2 England
21:06 , Mike Jones
60 mins: There have been just two shots on target in the entire game and England have scored with both of them. Scotland will be hoping that their substitutes can wrestle some momentum away from the visitors who aren’t under any sort of pressure here.
Scotland 0-2 England
21:03 , Mike Jones
57 mins: Harry Kane takes a shot from the edge of the box and knocks it over the top after a deflection from Kieran Tierney. The referee awards Scotland a goal kick though.
Steve Clarke makes a double change for Scotland as Lyndon Dykes and Ryan Christie are introduced to replace Che Adams and Billy Gilmour.
Scotland 0-2 England
20:59 , Mike Jones
54 mins: England are content to slow the game right down and knock the ball around. They’re focusing on keeping possession and making Scotland switch up their own gameplan.
Jude Bellingham is fed the ball on the left side of the pitch but he can’t keep it in play and the hosts win a throw in.
Scotland 0-2 England
20:54 , Mike Jones
51 mins: Chance! Kieran Tierney launches a throw in into the England box and it’s a white shirt that gets to the ball first. England nod it out to Billy Gilmour who touches the ball to the right to set up a shot then belts his effort over the top of the crossbar.
Scotland 0-2 England
20:53 , Mike Jones
48 mins: John McGinn receives the ball on the right side of the pitch and cuts inside before taking a shot from the edge of the penalty area.
He hits it well enough but misses the target and the ball goes out of play.
Second half! Scotland 0-2 England
20:49 , Mike Jones
Harry Maguire is brought on by Gareth Southgate to replace Marc Guehi in the centre of England’s defence. Steve Clarke keeps the same Scottish line-up that started the first half.
Marcus Rashford gets the match back underway and England boot the ball long down the left side of the pitch.
HT Scotland 0-2 England
20:46 , Mike Jones
This match is to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first meeting between Scotland and England on 30th November 1872, 150 years and 286 days before the date of this game.
HT Scotland 0-2 England
20:42 , Mike Jones
HT Scotland 0-2 England
20:38 , Mike Jones
Since playing his last game for Leeds in 2022, Kalvin Phillips has been named as a starter in as many games for England as he has for Manchester City (4) in all competitions.
Half-time! Scotland 0-2 England
20:34 , Mike Jones
45+1 mins: England head into the break in a commanding position in this celebratory anniversary match. The Three Lions controlled the tempo of the game from the start and earned their rewards in a blistering three minute spell.
Goals from Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham put them two ahead as the players jog down the tunnel for the halfway break. Lots of work for Scotland to do in the second half.
Scotland 0-2 England
20:32 , Mike Jones
45 mins: One minute of added time to play before the end of this first half.
Scotland 0-2 England
20:30 , Mike Jones
41 mins: Kalvin Phillips earns himself a yellow card for a ropey tackle inside England’s half. There’s a bit of argy bargy before the referee regains control and awards Scotland a free kick.
Andy Robertson lifts the set piece into the box but Lewis Dunk leaps up and nods the ball out for a corner.
Scotland 0-2 England
20:26 , Mike Jones
38 mins: Penalty shout from Scotland! Kieran Tierney sends a low ball into the England box. Marc Guehi tries to win the ball and is knocked down. He puts his hands out to halt his fall and the ball clips his left hand.
VAR takes a look but nothings more comes from it. The game resumes.
GOAL! Scotland 0-2 England (Bellingham, 35’)⚽️
20:24 , Mike Jones
35 mins: Two! Jude Bellingham brings the ball to the edge of the box on the left side before leaving it to Phil Foden. Foden crosses one into the middle of the box where Harry Kane fails to control the ball.
It bobbles out to Andy Robertson who skews a pass back into the dangerzone where Bellingham is the first to react. He gets to the ball and smashes it into the back of the net with his first touch.
Lovely finish!
GOAL! Scotland 0-1 England (Foden, 32’)⚽️
20:21 , Mike Jones
32 mins: England take the lead! Phil Foden brings the ball to the front of the box and feeds it to Jude Bellingham. Marcus Rashford peels away from Ryan Porteus inside the area and receives the ball from Bellingham before turning it out to Kyle Walker.
Walker takes a shot but miscues it and hits Foden who’s made his way into the box. Foden shifts his feet at the last moment and opens them up to turn the ball towards goal.
Angus Gunn is frozen to the spot and the ball finds the back of the net!
Scotland 0-0 England
20:18 , Mike Jones
30 mins: Erling Haaland has scored for Norway to put them 1-0 up against Georgia. If things finish that way Scotland will have to wait to confirm qualification for Euro 2024.
A Norway goal would put them through.
Scotland 0-0 England
20:15 , Mike Jones
27 mins: Close! One touch passing from England sees them work the ball through midfield and up to Jude Bellingham. He curls a pass over to the right wing with the outside of his boot and finds Kyle Walker.
Walker carries the ball to the edge of the ball and looks for Harry Kane in the middle but a back-tracking Jack Hendry turns the ball out of play.
Scotland 0-0 England
20:12 , Mike Jones
24 mins: Fresh off his first international goal against Ukraine Kyle Walker has the opportunity to add a second. Jude Bellingham makes a run into the box on Ryan Portues’ blindside and collects the ball on the left side of the box.
He lifts it over to Walker who sets himself with a touch then drills the ball past the far side of the goal.
Scotland 0-0 England
20:10 , Mike Jones
21 mins: Jude Bellingham goes down in the box and England shout for a penalty but before the referee needs to make the decision the offside the flag goes up against Marcus Rashford after Harry Kane feeds him over the top.
Scotland 0-0 England
20:06 , Mike Jones
18 mins: Chance! Kalvin Phillips brings the ball under control in the middle of the pitch and dinks a ball over to the top for Marcus Rashford on the left side of the pitch.
Rashford drives up to the box as Scotland come back to defend. Phil Foden arrives behind the defence and receives the pass but he can’t control his effort and lifts it over the crossbar!
That’s the best chance of the match so far.
Scotland 0-0 England
20:03 , Mike Jones
15 mins: Declan Rice handles the ball trying to win a tight challenge with Billy Gilmour. Scotland win a free kick and lift the ball into the middle of the box.
Lewis Dunk gets to the ball ahead of Ryan Portues and knocks it over to Kyle Walker who completes the clearance.
Scotland 0-0 England
20:00 , Mike Jones
12 mins: Scotland’s first real attack into the England final third comes from the left wing. Che Adams bombs in behind as the ball is fed through to him.
He takes it into the box and looks to square a pass to the arriving Ryan Porteus but the ball is intercepted and booted away.
The offside flag now goes up against Adams though there are signs of life in Scotland’s attack at last.
Scotland 0-0 England
19:58 , Mike Jones
9 mins: The Scottish fans are bouncing and buzzing. They started singing at kick and haven’t let up yet.
An enterprising ball up the pitch from Lewis Dunk looks to play Marcus Rashford in behind but the Manchester United man timed his run too soon and gets flagged offside.
Scotland 0-0 England
19:54 , Mike Jones
6 mins: England are the ones on the front foot in these opening exchanges. They’ve won a couple more corners with Phil Foden’s latest cross targeted at Lewis Dunk.
Dunk leaps under pressure in the air but can’t control an attempted header and the ball is cleared by Scotland.
Scotland 0-0 England
19:50 , Mike Jones
3 mins: Kyle Walker strides up the pitch and receives the ball on the right wing. He takes on Andy Robertson who deflects an attempted pass out for the first corner of the game.
The set piece is lifted over to the far side of the box where Declan Rice brings the ball under control before knocking it back across goal.
Angus Gunn comes off his line and punches the ball confidently away.
Kick off! Scotland 0-0 England
19:47 , Mike Jones
Billy Gilmour gets the match at Hampden Park underway. He sends the ball to Kieran Tierney who boots it up the pitch towards Scott McTominay.
England recover the ball and send it back to Aaron Ramsdale who decides against playing out from the back and fires over to the left side of the pitch.
Scotland vs England
19:42 , Mike Jones
Here come the teams. Harry Kane and Andy Robertson lead out their respective teams into the bubbling atmosphere at Hampden Park.
The noise is loud and the fans are excited for this one. The partisan crowd boos as England’s national anthem is played before erupting in song for the Scottish anthem.
This could be a hostile one for Gareth Southgate’s men. Kick off is up next…
Reinvented at new-age Brighton, Lewis Dunk has a second chance with England
19:40 , Mike Jones
Lewis Dunk can seem an unlikely figure to be in the vanguard of a footballing revolution. He is a centre back with roots in the lower leagues, tree-trunk thighs and a host of tattoos. Ask him his regrets and he will cite being suspended at Middlesbrough after, “like an idiot”, he collected one of his nine career red cards. It would be easy to pigeonhole him as a traditional British stopper; indeed, that used to be his job description.
Not now, however. The Brighton captain has earned an England recall, almost five years since his last cap, due to his nerveless excellence at Roberto De Zerbi’s ultra-bold style of football, inviting forward players to close him down yards from his own goal, then passing the ball past them.
“To the fans, especially at home games, it probably looks scary when we pass around the six-yard box – sounds crazy – but we know the idea of the pass or what we are gaining from it,” Dunk said. “We are not doing it to look good, we are doing it to score at the other end, and we are doing it to get [Kaoru] Mitoma and Solly March in one-vs-one positions. So, there is a method behind the madness.”
Reinvented at new-age Brighton, Lewis Dunk has a second chance with England
Scotland vs England
19:35 , Mike Jones
Harry Kane has been involved in 30 goals in his past 28 appearances for England, scoring 24 and assisting six. He could become the first starting England captain to score in more than one game against Scotland, having previously netted against them in June 2017.
Scotland vs England
19:30 , Mike Jones
Scott McTominay has scored in his past three home appearances for Scotland, netting five goals. The last player to score in four consecutive home games was Kris Boyd in September 2007, who netted in each of his first four caps on home soil.
Gareth Southgate looking forward to tough examination against Scotland
19:25 , Mike Jones
Gareth Southgate is looking forward to another really good test and “important learning step” as England head to Scotland for their first friendly in 18 months.
The Euro 2020 runners-up are among the favourites to win next year’s finals in Germany, which they are within touching distance of despite Saturday’s 1-1 qualification draw against Ukraine.
Long-serving Kyle Walker’s first-ever England goal cancelled out Oleksandr Zinchenko’s opener in front of a yellow and blue wall at the rocking Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland.
Gareth Southgate looking forward to tough examination against Scotland
Scotland vs England
19:20 , Mike Jones
England have failed to win four of their last six away games (two wins, two draws, two defeats), as many as they had in their previous 13 on the road (Nine wins, two draws, two defeats).
Scotland vs England
19:15 , Mike Jones
Scotland have won 15 of their last 21 games (three draws, three defeats), winning the past five in a row while scoring at least two goals each time.
Will they have the firepower to beat England tonight?
Scotland vs England
19:10 , Mike Jones
England have only conceded a first-half goal in two of their past 12 matches, although one of these was the 1-1 draw against Ukraine in their last game.
They last conceded in the opening 45 minutes in back-to-back matches in October 2020 (vs Belgium and Denmark).
Scotland vs England
19:05 , Mike Jones
Scotland have lost just one of their last 19 home games in all competitions (14 wins, four draws), winning the past six in a row. They last had a longer home winning run between August 1995 and April 1997, a seven-game streak.
Gareth Southgate twice talked Kyle Walker out of international retirement
19:00 , Mike Jones
Gareth Southgate had to talk Kyle Walker out of international retirement twice, the England manager has revealed, as he admitted the wing-back probably didn’t realise how much he is valued by the national team. The discussions happened after Euro 2020 and then again after the 2022 World Cup, where Southgate echoed Pep Guardiola in his desire to get the 33-year-old to stay.
Walker himself admitted that he had thought his “days were numbered” due to the range of right-backs coming through, as well as the fact that he had given up so many summers with international commitments. It was ultimately his good relationship with Southgate that saw him twice talked around.
“It’s always all credit to him and I’ve talked him out of retirement twice,” Southgate said. “Out of international football, after the Euros and after the World Cup, I think he loves being here and he’s wanted to keep going and now he’s thinking about how many caps he can get. He’s critical to us. If we’re talking about world-class players in their position in our team then he’s probably one of them.
“I think he didn’t realise how much value we have him and how important he is for us. He’s probably not going to thank me for sharing that!”
Gareth Southgate twice talked Kyle Walker out of international retirement
Scotland vs England
18:55 , Mike Jones
England have lost just one of the last 12 meetings (eight wins, three draws).
That defeat was a 1-0 home loss in the Euro 2000 play-off. They are unbeaten in four games at Hampden (two wins, two draws) since a 1-0 defeat in May 1985.
Scotland vs England team changes
18:47 , Mike Jones
Steve Clarke has named an unchanged team to the one that defeated Cyprus in Scotland’s Euro 2024 qualifier last Friday. It’s a sign of Clarke’s confidence and determination that he’s picked his best team to take on England at Hampden Park tonight.
Gareth Southgate meanwhile makes six changes from Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Ukraine. Aaron Ramsdale is in goal with Kieran Trippier winning his 43rd cap, while it’s just a second appearance for Lewis Dunk in the backline.
Kalvin Phillips, Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden are also in from the start.
Gareth Southgate: England over-experimenting in Scotland would be ‘ridiculous’
18:40 , Mike Jones
Gareth Southgate says it would be “ridiculous” to overly experiment as England head to hostile Hampden Park to face in-form foes Scotland in a so-called friendly.
Both sides are on the cusp of qualification for next summer’s European Championship as they meet on Tuesday evening for the 116th edition of the world’s oldest international fixture.
Southgate sees England’s first friendly fixture since March 2022 as an important test and learning step for his side, fresh from Saturday’s challenging 1-1 draw against Ukraine.
Gareth Southgate: England over-experimenting in Scotland would be ‘ridiculous’
Scotland vs England line-ups
18:39 , Mike Jones
Scotland XI: Gunn, Porteus, Hendry, Tierney, Hickey, Gilmour, McGregor, Robertson, McTominay, McGinn, Adams
England XI: Ramsdale, Walker, Guehi, Dunk, Trippier, Phillips, Rice, Foden, Bellingham, Rashford, Kane
Gareth Southgate says England like Harvey Barnes amid talk of Scotland switch
18:35 , Mike Jones
Gareth Southgate says Harvey Barnes is a player England “like a lot” and Kieran Trippier praised Elliot Anderson’s potential amid talk of a possible tug-of-war with Scotland for the Newcastle duo.
There is an increasing number of players that have been part of the English set-up that have gone on to represent another country, including Jamal Musiala and Wilfried Zaha.
Angus Gunn was called up to the England senior squad by Southgate before switching allegiance to Tuesday’s opponents Scotland, who are now reportedly targeting Barnes.
The 25-year-old has yet to add to the solitary senior England cap he won in 2020 but remains on the manager’s radar, as does Newcastle team-mate Anderson.
Gareth Southgate says England like Harvey Barnes amid talk of Scotland switch
Scotland vs England
18:30 , Mike Jones
This match is taking place to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first meeting between the sides which finished as a goalless draw on 30 November 1872.
Tonight’s game is the 116th meeting, with England winning 48, Scotland 41 and there being 26 draws.
Beating Scotland would be an ‘old-fashioned statement’ says Gareth Southgate
18:25 , Mike Jones
Meetings between England and Scotland were regular occurrences before the turn of the century but the teams have only met seven times in the last couple of decades.
England last tasted defeat in this fixture in 1999 which shows how far ahead of Scotland the Three Lions have pushed themselves in the early 21st century.
Gareth Southgate has described the prospect of winning Tuesday’s derby as an “old-fashioned statement”.
“You’re testing yourself, proving yourself, learning as a team and representing the nation,” said Southgate.
“We see it as a really good test of us as a team. You’re playing a high level opponent in a really intimidating atmosphere and they’re the nights that have been important in our growing process.
“It’s a challenge that we’ve got to head towards and relish. We have huge ambition as a team but also have a lot of work to do.”
Gareth Southgate hails Evan Ferguson and confirms England interest in Newcastle starlet
18:20 , Mike Jones
Evan Ferguson has never given Gareth Southgate “any inkling” he would have been open to switch from Ireland, but the England manager did admit their interest in Elliot Anderson, who has just pulled out of the Scotland squad.
Southgate similarly revealed that the Football Association had pursued whether Erling Haaland would play.
Ferguson’s sensational form for Brighton, including a hat-trick against Newcastle this month, has naturally seen renewed discussion over whether he could change nationalities, since he does have an English mother, something that is now actually impossible due to the fact he has played sufficient games for Ireland.
Southgate hails Ferguson and confirms England interest in Newcastle starlet
Scotland want to close the gap on England
18:15 , Mike Jones
Scotland manager Steve Clarke says this evening’s friendly against England will be the perfect sign of the progress his team has made.
They are almost guaranteed to reach Euro 2024 after winning all five qualifiers so far and have risen 20 places to 30th in the world ranking since Clarke took over the reigns.
“In my lifetime, England have moved a bit in front [of Scotland],” he said. “We are trying to close the gap on them and we’ll find out on Tuesday how much we’ve closed that gap.”
Scotland vs England
18:10 , Mike Jones
Scotland vs England is the oldest fixture in international football and tonight’s meeting of the teams will throw up the latest mix of sporting drama and intrigue 150 years on from their first encounter.
The gulf between the sides has varied over their long history but both nations meet at Hampden Park for this celebratory heritage match in a contest that will be harder to call than initially expected.
England are of course the favourites to win but the last meeting of the sides ended in a 0-0 draw at Wembley in Euro 2020. Gareth Southgate’s men went all the way to the final in that competition – eventually losing a penalty shootout to Italy – but it was Scotland who posed the biggest threat to the Three Lions.
Can they do so again tonight?
England to resist Republic of Ireland approach for Lee Carsley
18:05 , Mike Jones
The Football Association will resist any attempt from Ireland to appoint England under-21 manager Lee Carsley, should Irish boss Stephen Kenny be sacked.
Ireland have just suffered successive defeats to France and Netherlands and while those would otherwise be respectable performances, they come on the back of a series of poor results that have now all but ended the hopes of Euro 2024 qualification.
While Kenny is widely expected to be given the rest of this campaign, a failure to claim a play-off place – which is now dependent on results in other groups – could well end three difficult years in charge of the Irish team.
England to resist Republic of Ireland approach for Lee Carsley
Scotland vs England prediction
18:00 , Mike Jones
Scotland, who are in terrific form, sense the opportunity and occasion to celebrate having earned a narrow victory over an underpar England team who are still searching for answers ahead of next year’s Euro 2024.
Scotland 2-1 England.
Scotland vs England predicted line-ups
17:55 , Mike Jones
Scotland XI: Gunn; Porteous, Hendry, Tierney; Patterson, S Armstrong, McGregor, Robertson; McTominay, McGinn; Dykes.
England XI: Pickford; Trippier, Maguire, Colwill, Chilwell; Gallagher, Rice, Bellingham; Foden, Kane, Rashford.
Latest odds: Scotland win 7/2
Draw 13/5
England win 3/4
Scotland vs England team news
17:50 , Mike Jones
Scotland impressed against Cyprus, but Steve Clarke could use this opportunity to shuffle his pack, with Stuart Armstrong a possible midfield starter and Lyndon Dykes in the mix further forward. Having earned a first call up ahead of the Cyprus game, English-born Newcastle midfielder Elliot Anderson was forced to pull out with an injury.
Gareth Southgate has ruled out sweeping changes to his England side, suggesting it would be “ridiculous” to “over experiment” against a strong Scottish side. That said, Southgate could still use this as a chance to give Chelsea defender Levi Colwill a senior debut and Aaron Ramsdale is expected to start in goal ahead of Jordan Pickford.
How to watch Scotland vs England
17:45 , Mike Jones
Scotland vs England is due to kick off at 7.45pm BST on Tuesday 12 September at Hampden Park in Glasgow.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the game live on Channel 4, with coverage from 7pm BST. A free live stream will also be available on the Channel 4 website and app.
Scotland vs England
16:50 , Mike Jones
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s international friendly between Scotland and England at Hampden Park.
The match is a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the oldest fixture in international football. England first took on Scotland in a competitive encounter in November 1872 in a clash that ended 0-0. Since then the two neighbouring countries have faced each other in 115 official fixtures, with the 116th to come tonight in Glasgow.
England are the favourites to win the game but Scotland’s recent run of form has been remarkable and with home advantage they will want to prove they are worthy opponents for Gareth Southgate’s men especially with another European Championship coming up next year.
We’ll have all the build-up, team news and match coverage throughout the evening so stick with us.
