England vs. Scotland Prediction: Euro 2020 Betting Odds

Jordan Ramsay
June 17, 2021

It’s not exactly Mel Gibson in Braveheart, but England and Scotland are battling again on Friday in Euro 2020 action at Wembley Stadium. Fresh off a 1-0 win over Croatia in their opening match, England will host a Scottish side that was dropped 2-0 by the Czech Republic.

England is a -313 favourite to win on the soccer odds, while Scotland is a heavy +860 underdog. A draw is listed at +380.

England vs. Scotland Betting Odds

The odds are essentially split down the middle on the Over/Under 2.5 goals for this one. England jumps up to -1250 on the ‘draw no bet’, with Scotland moving to +540. Tottenham star Harry Kane is an easy +265 favourite to score the game’s first goal and -128 favourite to score anytime. The favoured exact result in the game is a 2-0 England win, at +350.

England

Raheem Sterling’s goal made the difference for England in their opening match win against Croatia. The favourites to win Group D, it was actually England’s first-ever European Championship opening match win. The match wasn’t as close as the score might indicate and the Three Lions cruised at Wembley, where they’ll play all their group stage matches. There were plenty of positives to take away from the win. Sterling looks like he’s forgotten his inconsistent last season at Manchester City and Kalvin Phillips was excellent in the middle of the park. They’ve now won seven straight matches across all competitions and look like they’re easily in line to at least reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 1996.

There were no new injury issues in the starting XI during the Croatia match, but Dean Henderson’s hip problem has seen him officially withdraw from the team. Aaron Ramsdale will replace Henderson on the roster. Defender Harry Maguire looks like he’ll return soon from an ankle injury, but likely not against Scotland.

The one roster question mark against Scotland is Jack Grealish. The Aston Villa captain missed training on Tuesday with an unspecified issue, but is expected to be in the lineup on Friday. If Grealish ultimately starts on the bench, we could see Sterling and Phil Foden join Kane in arguably the most dangerous attacking group of the tournament.

Scotland

The Scots were not necessarily expected to win their opening match against the Czech Republic, but a two-goal loss has put them in a tougher spot than they would have hoped. The home loss was a bitter disappointment for a team making their first major tournament appearance since the 1998 World Cup. There is still a chance for this team, though. A decent result against England puts them in line to at least not finish last in the group, keeping their tournament hopes alive.

Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney’s absence was a noticeable hinderance against the Czechs. Tierney is dealing with a calf injury, but he could potentially return to the lineup against England, so it’s worth keeping an eye on the injury report closer to game time.

Manager Steve Clarke is expected to make some changes to the lineup against England. Southampton forward Che Adams could be moved to the starting XI. Stephen O’Donnell struggled in the opening match and could see a diminished role on Friday. Scott McTominay and John McGinn will likely feature alongside Stuart Armstrong in midfield.