England must avoid complacency against Scotland

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With England listed as one of the top contenders to win the tournament, you can understand why English football fans will be in confident mood ahead of this summer’s European Championships. A relatively favourable draw, combined with the fact that numerous matches will be played at Wembley in London, and many fans are optimistic that England can enjoy a run to the latter stages of the competition.

However, it’s important that Gareth Southgate and his team keep their feet firmly on the ground. They cannot afford to take any liberties in the group stage, especially when their opponents include Scotland, who will be highly motivated to make an impression in their return to the major international tournament scene. The two sides square off on June 18^th, and although England are the firm favourites to win the match in the England v Scotland betting odds, they must avoid falling into the pitfalls of complacency.

A worthy opponent

While England are certainly a superior side to Scotland on paper, anything can happen in a big game at a major tournament, and coach Steve Clarke will be preparing his side to cause an upset. England v Scotland is a fixture as old as time, and in the last few years there have been some close matches between the two teams.

The last meeting between England and Scotland was in June 2017, and a thrilling 2-2 draw was the result, with Harry Kane’s last-gasp equaliser saving England from defeat at Hampden Park. Scotland’s Leigh Griffiths had scored twice in the last five minutes to give the home side the lead before Kane spared England’s blushes.