Scotland vs England. International Match.
Celtic ParkAttendance55,000.
Tuesday 18 November 2014 12:15, UK
Scotland will be aiming to record their first home win against England in over 29 years when they host their old rivals in a friendly at Celtic Park on Tuesday.
Scotland beat England 1-0 in the Rous Cup at Hampden Park in 1985 but have drawn one and lost two of the three subsequent home clashes.
England’s lone defeat in their last eight matches with Scotland came at Wembley, when Don Hutchison scored the only goal in the second leg of a qualifying playoff for Euro 2000.
Gordon Strachan’s side will also be eager to avenge the 3-2 loss they suffered in London last year and the return friendly in Glasgow gives them the perfect opportunity to do so.
They go into the clash on a high after securing a crucial victory in their European Qualifier against the Republic of Ireland on Friday night.
Although only bragging rights will be at stake on Tuesday, both Strachan and England manager Roy Hodgson are expecting the competition on the pitch and atmosphere in the stands to be far more intense than in an ordinary friendly.
"On Friday (against Ireland), you had two teams standing toe to toe,” Strachan said.
“Fortunately we had a little bit of magic on our side that allowed us to win. It'll be as intense on Tuesday as well. I think the England players will enjoy it, the atmosphere, as we did on Friday.
"We need to keep up the standard, you can only play it if the public want it. They enjoyed the last game, not just the football, everyone in London enjoyed the atmosphere. Let's produce another game of football, the players like it that is for sure."
England, who beat Slovenia on Saturday, last faced Scotland away from home in 1999, when they clinched a 2-0 win at Hampden Park in the first leg of the playoff.
Hodgson says his team must keep their composure in hostile territory at Celtic Park, which last hosted a clash between Scotland and England in 1904.
"The fans here, they'll certainly give Celtic and Scotland incredible support and that's something we'll have to deal with in terms of not letting it affect us too badly mentally,” the England manager said.
He said of the history of the fixture, which is the oldest in international football: "The (match) uppermost in my mind was the one we played (against Scotland) last year at Wembley. I think Gordon had just taken over as manager.
“It was a very good game, very close, hard-fought (and an) incredible atmosphere because a lot of Scottish fans had travelled down."
Hodgson’s team have won all five of their matches since the World Cup, beating Norway in a friendly before starting their campaign in the European Qualifiers with four straight victories.
But Scotland can take encouragement from their recent form, which has seen them lose narrowly to Germany and draw in Poland before the triumph over Ireland.
Despite the high-profile nature of the friendly, both Scotland and England are set to make changes to the teams which defeated Ireland and Slovenia respectively.
Former Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster could start on familiar ground, although Ben Foster is also in contention for a place in the line-up. Hodgson has excused No.1 Joe Hart from the friendly to allow the Manchester City keeper a rest.
West Brom striker Saido Berahino and Everton midfielder Ross Barkley may be in line to start for England.
Phil Jagielka has travelled to Glasgow despite being substituted with what appeared to be an injury in the final stages of the win against Slovenia.
Ahead of the game, Strachan has said he needs to find a balance between giving as many players as possible a run out while also remaining competitive in the match.
Darren Fletcher missed training on Monday as he was not feeling well while fellow midfielder James Morrison returned after missing the Ireland game due to illness.
Strachan will also "keep an eye" on goalkeeper David Marshall, with Craig Gordon waiting in the wings.
Watch Scotland v England live on Sky Sports 1HD from 7pm on Tuesday.
