The Battle of Britain pits Scotland against England in WC Qualifiers
Published June 10, 2017 by Florin P
England reignites the rivalry with Scotland in the World Cup qualifiers for dominance in Group F (5:00 p.m UK Time).
England and Scotland reignite their timeless rivalry in the World Cup qualifiers. The match will be played in Scotland, so the home side can level the playing field despite having the weaker starting formation. As underdogs, they will need to double their efforts and play at the same level for 90 minutes, if they are to secure a place at the final tournament. By comparison, the visitors could settle for one point and still win the group, so that is a distinct possibility.
Everything on the Line for Scotland
Scotland has finally won a game against Slovenia, after splitting points in two of the last three matches. This victory is not enough to restore their chances, but it is still an important step made in the right direction. What they need is to double down on that triumph in the match against England and victory is not the only result regarded as positive.
Splitting points with their neighbors is not exactly what the fans have in mind, but everyone would agree that such a result is for the better. Offensively, there is still plenty of room for improvement, but at least the number of goals allowed was greatly reduced. England won the last three direct matches and scored three goals every time, so a scoreless draw would be regarded as a big step forward.
Pragmatic Southgate Emphasizes the Defensive Effort
The visitors are driven by the motivation of defeating their rivals and in theory have the better squad to achieve that. However, they currently sit at the top of the group and their manager is smart enough to play the long game. The qualification campaign is going to be long and difficult, especially when you have so many players tired after Premier League matches.
Punters should see beyond the tempting odds offered by bookmakers on England’s to win on the road. Instead, they should take the odds of 11/10 given by bet365 Sports on the home side not to lose the match. At the end of the day, it would be a positive outcome for both teams involved.
