Scotland manager Gordon Strachan termed the recent World Cup 2018 qualifying round as a great occasion for the fans after his national team was drawn up against archrivals England.
Both teams share an intense rivalry, but they have not met each other in a competitive fixture in recent times. This has been partly down to the decline of Scottish football whereas England have been somewhat able to maintain their standards. In recent times, only friendly matches have been played between the two teams and even those were feisty encounters. England boss Roy Hodgson said that he was already looking forward to the game, which will be more than 12 months from now.
The first match between England and Scotland will take place at the new Wembley followed by the reverse fixture at Scotland a few months later. Both teams will be hoping to qualify for the World Cup without fail. Scotland have not done well in recent qualification campaigns, but the prospect of squaring up against one of the biggest rivals is likely to improve the team. It will take a lot of effort for teams to qualify from this group given that our teams like Slovakia and Slovenia have strengthened a lot of in recent years.
“There were a lot of delirious punters here when we were pulled out the hat with England and I can see why, because it really is a fantastic fixture that I think the whole of Scotland and England can look forward to.In saying that, as coaches, we are looking forward to pitting our wits against teams we have not played against for a long time.The good thing about it, from the supporters’ point of view, is that there are no ridiculous journeys. And I think they will visit places that they will enjoy,” said Strachan.