Old foes England and Scotland will do battle on Friday inside Wembley stadium in Group D of the on-going European Championship.
While England got their campaign off to a positive note following their 1-0 win against Croatia, the Scots lost 2-0 to Czech Republic at Hampden Park.
The Scots have their work cut out against their old enemy going into today’s encounter, as anything short of a win could jeopardise their chances of progressing into the round of 16.
The last time Scotland defeated England was in 1999 when they edged the Three Lions 1-0 inside the Wembley stadium, in the second leg play-off during the qualifiers for the European Championship co-hosted by Netherlands and Belgium in 2000.
England went on to qualify for the Championship 2-1 on aggregate after winning the first-leg 2-0.
Also, the Scots will be targeting a first European Championship win against England in only their second meeting.
In their first clash in 1996 which England hosted, the Scots lost 2-0 in a group tie.
England will go into the game in great form after winning their last six games while Scotland have won just two, drawn three and lost one.
Dean Henderson has been forced to withdraw from the England squad due to a hip problem, with Aaron Ramsdale his replacement, but there are no other fresh concerns from the win over Croatia, at least not from the starting XI.
Harry Maguire is making huge steps forward in his recovery from an ankle injury and has now declared himself fit, but it seems unlikely that the Manchester United captain will be risked from the start against Scotland, while Jordan Henderson is still working his way back from a groin problem and is not expected to be in the first XI.
Jack Grealish missed training on Tuesday due to an unspecified issue; the Aston Villa captain will be in the squad against Scotland but could ultimately start on the bench, with Sterling and Phil Foden potentially again joining Harry Kane in attack.
Southgate will certainly consider naming the side that started against Croatia, but there might be a change at left-back, with Luke Shaw coming in for Kieran Trippier, while Reece James is pushing for a spot on the opposite side.
As for Scotland, Kieran Tierney was a huge miss against the Czech Republic, with the Arsenal defender battling a calf problem, but he has now been declared fit for Friday’s encounter.
The Scottish manager is expected to make a couple of changes from the side that started on Monday, and it would not be a surprise to see Southampton’s Che Adams come in for a start in the final third of the field.
Stephen O’Donnell found it difficult to impress in Scotland’s group opener but could keep his spot, while Stuart Armstrong should again feature alongside Scott McTominay and John McGinn in midfield.
