The standout match of the Euro 2020 group schedule for UK fans will be played on Friday 18 June at Wembley Stadium from 20:00. The Auld Enemy come to blows in this hotly anticipated Group D contest. Although the Three Lions are favourites to come away with all three points, fans know they can take nothing for granted against a determined opponent in Steve Clarke’s Tartan Army.
Matchday two of the group will draw a huge audience with supporters back inside the national stadium while millions more follow the action live on TV. Bookmakers around the world are taking a flurry of bets on the outcome. You’ll find updated odds at the best Canadian betting sites, where England are favourites in the match winner market.
How will the match play out? There’s no denying England are the better team on paper, but that won’t deter their opponents. In this article, we analyse the stats attached to this game in the hope of uncovering a few clues.
Head-to-Head
The first official international football match between England and Scotland was played in 1872 and ended in a goalless draw. The neighbours were to become fierce rivals over the years and have served up some memorable battles. Euro 96 was the last time Scotland qualified, and they also played England at Wembley that day, losing 2-0 with the goals scored by Alan Shearer and Paul Gascoigne.
The head-to-head stats ahead of this game shows England have 48 wins against the 41 of Scotland with 25 draws. Scotland’s last win over England came in 1999 at this venue when Don Hutchinson scored the goal that matters. Despite that historic win, the Scots were eliminated in a Euro playoff 2-1 on aggregate.
Since that victory for Scotland, the teams have met four times with three wins for England and one draw. The spare came in the most recent clash.
The stats will give followers of Gareth Southgate’s team cause to be confident ahead of this return to action, and it’s no surprise to learn the bookies and pundits have England picked to collect the 49th win over their most historic of rivals.
England rescue a draw
The teams last met in a World Cup qualifying group match at Hampden Park in Glasgow on 10 June 2017, and Scotland came within seconds of grabbing the win. Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain scored the first goal of the game before the madness ensued. Leigh Griffiths found the next with a stunning free-kick from range on 87 minutes, then did the same again on 90 minutes. There was one final twist in the tale, Harry Kane notching an injury-time equaliser. A body blow for the Tartan Army.
They may have been disappointed with a draw in that match on home soil, but there’s every chance Scotland manager Steve Clarke would accept a level finish and share of the spoils ahead of his men’s trip to London. A point would rate as a fantastic result for the dark blues, especially if they can get off to a winning start against the Czech Republic on matchday one and England defeat Croatia in the same round.
It’s not what England fans want to see, however. The betting has England as hot favourites to win their first-ever European Championship, and with both semi-finals and the final played at Wembley, they would have a great chance of making it that far. Nine points from their three group games in the target for Kane and co this month. Not only would that see them top a tough group, but it would also send out a message of intent to the rest of the competition. It would show England are the team to beat, and they have hit form at the right time.
Plenty to catch your eye
Moving away from the result now, the top betting apps allow members to gamble on this Euro 2020 match without having to predict the winning team. There will be more than 100 pre-match markets available, and the majority of those will remain live throughout the 90 minutes, thanks to in-play betting.
Let’s look at some of the other stats that could lead us to a profit from this game. Both teams have scored in three of the last four games, and you can back both teams to find the net again here. That bet counts regardless of the winning team.
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