Neighbouring nations England and Scotland will face off at the Wembley Stadium in London after they were drawn in the same group. The rivals have had a contrasting start to the competition so far which adds more spice to the already boiled over occasion.
England
The Three Lions capped off a solid performance to overcome Croatia in their opening game of the Euros. A solitary goal by Raheem Sterling was enough to get their tournament off to a flier.
The slender margin helped their case to come out on top in a closely contested encounter, but England were comfortable in defence over the course of the 90 minutes and were not made to work too hard.
Gareth Southgate had sprung up with some surprising picks in the playing eleven, but the players were able to back his selection with Kalvin-Phillips dropping a top calibre performance in the midfield against the likes of Modric, Kovacic, and Brozovic.
A win here could secure a place in the knockouts, which would allow him to experiment and give game time to players who are recovering from injuries and seeking game time.
Southgate would hope that the added element of rivalry does not come in the picture negatively by any means despite their superior record and squad.
The lingering absence of Harry Maguire means that Tyrone Mings will partner John Stones at centre back. While England have two prominent left-backs Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell in the squad, Kieran Trippier is expected to continue play down that flank following a decent outing.
It’s the same story in the midfield and the attack as well for England as Southgate will not look to alter the winning combination, especially with Jack Grealish reportedly down with a niggle as well. Even if things slide downhill, they arguably have one of the best bench strengths in the tournament to turn things around.
Topping the group will be a bittersweet prospect for England, as they could potentially face either one of France, Germany or Portugal in the round of 16 itself. With a squad that deep, that thought should not hold them back from topping Group D.
Scotland
Playing their first major tournament in 22 years, Scotland had a rough introduction through a 2-0 defeat to Czech Republic.
With a squad that boasts several Premier League talents young and establised, the team were touted to do more. Skipper Andy robertson landed an excellent performance, but it was not enough as the Scots will now have to topple their arch rivals to give themselves some hope before facing Croatia.
The spirit of the rivalry will be the one thing that will keep the players going, and numerous players will be competing against their own club teammates. While the strengths and weaknesses between the players works both ways, this might help Scotland a bit more.
Kieran Tierney, who turned out to be a huge absence, might feature in the crucial game for an added burst of energy.
Waging Odds: England (1.33) vs Scotland (11.00) (Draw 5.25)
Scotland are massive underdogs and are priced at 11.00, meaning if you bet ₹100 on them and if they win the match, you’ll be making ₹1100.
England are priced at 1.33 and are the favourites. Betting ₹100 on them will earn you ₹133 if they come out as winners.
The odds for a draw are placed at 5.25. Betting ₹100 on them will earn you ₹525 if the fixture ends all level.
Our Prediction
Scotland are in dire need of a favourable result against their rivals to ensure their survival in the competition. However, the massive gulf between the two sides despite some quality in the Scotland unit, make England firm favourites, like the odds suggest.
The contest on the flanks and in the middle of the park should be interesting and be the ones to look out for. The last time Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden came up against Andy Robertson, they scored three goals between them.
It would be interesting to see if Kalvin Phillips can replicate his performance against a packed midfield with a blend of energy and physicality.
A clinical outing by England can be expected as they would love to rack some goals going into the knockouts. 90 minutes against a rampant England side would prove to be too much for the Scots, who could be staring at a 3-0 defeat.
Place your bets for the match here.
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