Scotland ready for crunch clash with England at Wembley

Steve Clarke and his players aim to deliver as the Tartan Army invades London.

Scotland ready for crunch clash with England at Wembley SNS Group

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke and his players are in London as they prepare for Friday’s Euro 2020 match against England at Wembley.

The men’s national team are looking for a positive result against Gareth Southgate’s star-studded team in the 115th meeting between the sides.

Scotland began their Euro 2020 group stage with a 2-0 defeat to Czech Republic on their return to major tournament football and need to get points on the board if they are to have a chance of making the knockout stage of the competition.

The Czech top Group D with England behind them in second place. Croatia are third after their opening day loss to England, ahead of Scotland on goal difference.

The Tartan Army have headed to the capital to cheer on their side against their rivals, with 3200 fans having tickets for Wembley and others travelling to watch in bars.

The team has been boosted by the news that Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney is fit to play after the player missed the opening game with a calf problem.

Clarke said: “It is good news for Kieran, good news for us and good news for the Scottish supporters.

“Hopefully we can back all that up with a good result.

“He has trained fully the last two days. He is available for the whole game.” 

Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay underlined the importance of a good performance and taking something from the match before the final group game against Croatia on June 22.

He said: “Most definitely we are going there to win the game but most definitely don’t lose the game.

“That’s first and foremost. We have to get a result.

“It’s as simple as that. For us, that’s the sole focus of the group at the minute.

“We’ve had 24 hours after the (Czech) game to digest what happened and the mistakes that were made – that’s in front of goal and defending as well.

“I’m sure you’ll see a big reaction and players who are hungry to win the game and do it for everyone in Scotland.”

England manager Gareth Southgate said that while fans may get caught up in the occasion of the historic fixture, his job was to keep his players focused on the game itself. He said: “Our focus has been on solving the tactical problems that Scotland pose with the way they play, the way they defend, they way they attack.

“Our focus has got to be on our performances getting better with every game we play.

“For the fans and for us it is a big occasion but it is another opportunity for three points and our objective is qualification. That is what we have got to focus on.”

England v Scotland is live on STV on Friday. Coverage starts from 7pm and you can watch it on broadcast or on the STV Player.

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