England welcomes its old rival Scotland to Wembley Stadium for the second day of Group D at Euro 2020. Both teams suffered contrasting fortunes on matchday one, with England claiming a deserved 1:0 win over a poor Croatia, while the Scots suffered a painful 2:0 defeat at home to the Czech Republic. Still, the Scots should not be written off as they can give England a tough game on their home turf, as Southgate’s side, despite impressing many, fail to surprise the big teams, even if they have all the attacking talent.
The last time they met was in 2017, in the group stage of World Cup qualifying. It was a 2-2 draw, all four goals falling after the 70th minute; Leigh Griffiths with Scotland’s two goals between goals from Oxlade-Chamberlain and Harry Kane.
This is a big game for England and they certainly have too much quality in all departments, although this did not come to the fore in their opening match. Their last seven matches in all competitions are wins, as are 11 of their last 14, and only Belgium and Denmark have beaten them in that period, the latter with a draw on the other occasion.
The Scottish team is under pressure as they know they cannot afford another defeat here. Also, Steve Clarke’s side has not beaten a team in the top 5 of the FIFA rankings in the last 3 years. Scotland has many big-name supporters for their Euro 2020 match against England today, but the best of the bunch is Sir Rod Stewart.
The ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy’ singer is a devoted member of the Tartan Army and will be at Wembley tonight to watch his beloved team take on England. However, some may be confused as to why Sir Rod is such a big Scotland supporter when he is English.
Sir Rod explained that he grew up supporting his father’s nation and Celtic, and his children have followed suit. Rod said: “They are Scottish football supporters, they support Scotland in rugby and they are Celtic fans. They are aware of the tartan blood within them”.
And what do you think of Rod’s side of the pitch? Do you think it is disrespectful to England, as he has been appointed Sir by the Queen, or is it simply a question of footballing preference? Let us know what you think in the comments!
