Scotland football host England football team in a special friendly to mark the 150th anniversary of the first international fixture played between the two nations. The clash between neighbouring countries in 1872 is recognised by Fifa as football’s first-ever official international match, with 4,000 fans filing into the West of Scotland Cricket Club in Glasgow to witness the event. Now, 150 years later fans from both countries will flock to Hampden Park for the latest renewal of this old rivalry.
Scotland are in fine form following a 3-0 victory over Cyprus on Friday to extend their advantage at the top of Euro 2024 qualifying Group A. They have won all five of their qualifiers so far and need just two points from their final three matches to secure a place at next summer’s championship.
Meanwhile, England’s winning streak in qualifying ended with a 1-1 draw against Ukraine on Saturday. Gareth Southgate’s side manage to come from a goal down to secure a point despite a disjointed performance with Kyle Walker netting his first international goal but they will be aiming for a more positive result in Glasgow tonight.
Follow all the action from Hampden Park and get the latest odds and tips for Scotland vs England right here:
Scotland vs England
Scotland host England at Hampden Park, live on Channel 4
The friendly is a special match played to celebrate the 150th anniversary of when England and Scotland first played each other
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
Scottish fans boo England’s national anthem
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.
(Getty Images)
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.
(Getty Images)
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.
