Scotland and England come into this ‘friendly’ on Tuesday with the game surely set to play out as anything but. Both sides will be desperate for the bragging rights in what will be a hard-fought and competitive contest.
One look at the hosts’ game with the Republic of Ireland on Friday tells you all you need to know about the Scots. They are always up for a battle, with Scott Brown in midfield epitomising that, and if England allow them space to play, the likes of Steven Naismith and Shaun Maloney could punish them.
Having said that, England should win the game with the quality that they possess in the side and they are favourites to do so. They may need to perform better than they did against Slovenia though, where it took conceding a goal to really get them going. The likes of Wayne Rooney and Raheem Sterling were sloppy but improved drastically as soon as they went 1-0 behind and if they can take how they ended the game on Saturday into this clash, they should win the game for their side.
The visitors are the favourites at 11/10 with BetVictor, decent looking odds, while the draw can be backed at 12/5 with Bet365. A home win is the outsider but distinctly possible at 11/4 with Totesport.
England’s main problem here could be the noise of the crowd and intimidation factor. If Roy Hodgson’s men can get that early goal to settle them down then they could win the game comfortably. The result may hinge on whether they can manage that.
Betting Tips
- Both teams to score – Both sides would confess to their weaknesses being in defence and therefore we would envisage that there will be plenty of goalmouth action in this one. England play with a front three in front of the likes of Jordan Henderson and Jack Wilshere who also like to get forward while Naismith and Maloney proved what they were capable of against Ireland. This looks a great bet at 9/10 with BetVictor.
- Danny Welbeck to score – The Arsenal forward is in cracking form for club and country and appears to be relishing the chance to play as the main striker for both. Welbeck has five goals in four games for England we envisage that he could continue that run here. He is available to score anytime at 15/8 with Bet365.
- England to win by one goal – We just think that despite all the passion and fight the Scots are bound to show, England should have enough to edge over the line here. They have won all of their games since the World Cup and there is little reason to suggest that run can’t continue here. England to win by one goal is available at 11/4 with Sky Bet and would be our third betting tip.