England vs. Scotland 6/18/21 - Euro Cup Picks & Predictions

On Friday, England will play Scotland in a matchday 2 Group D showdown at Wembley in London. The rivalry between England and Scotland is the oldest in football history and is the first time the two have met in a major tournament since 1996. With a victory on Friday, England will secure its qualification for the knockout stages. England started its Euro campaign last Sunday with a 1-0 victory over Croatia and the Three Lions are unbeaten in seven consecutive matches.

Raheem Sterling scored England's winning goal over Croatia in the first match. Kalvin Phillips excelled in midfield for England. Although England won its opening match, the Three Lions have not moved beyond the quarterfinals of a Euro championship since 1996 but have won each of the last four matches versus Scotland. England will play without defender Harry Maguire who remains out with an injured hamstring. 

Scotland opened its Euro 2020 campaign with a 2-0 loss to the Czech Republic at Hampden Park. Scotland needs a victory to maintain any hope of qualifying in one of the top two places and moving on to The Knockout stages. Kieran Tierney should return for Scotland after missing the Czech Republic match with an injury but Billy Gilmour is doubtful. 

This is Scotland's first visit to the Euro Cup since 1996 when they also played England during the group stage and its Scotland’s first major tournament since playing in the World Cup in 1998. Even without a victory, Scotland would remain in the mix for a qualifying spot in the tournament. Scotland is likely to have Che Adams start in the back with John McGinn, Scott McTominay and Stuart Armstrong at midfield.