England vs. Scotland: A History

When England face Scotland in their Euro 2020 Group D game on Friday, it will be the 114th match in a sporting history which dates back to 1872. Back then, the first 'friendly' match ended in a 0-0 draw, but the rematch the next year was clinched 4-2 by England. They'd have to savour that win though as the following 11 games up to 1884 brought 9 Scottish wins, a draw and a 5-4 win. The vast majority of matches between the two teams over the next century were played under the banner of the British Home Championship, with the spoils being shared quite evenly between the two rivals over the years.

England and Scotland didn't play each other at all from 1989 to 1996, with the two old rivals pitted against each other in the Euro 96 championship group stages, to great anticipation. Played at Wembley, the 2-0 win for the Three Lions set the tone for most of the meetings since then. Scotland did though secure a 1-0 victory in the Euro 2000 qualifying playoffs, but it wasn't enough to overturn the 2-0 defeat in the first leg and England progressed to the tournament proper before failing to progress from their group alongside Germany.

Despite a loss to the Czech Republic in their first match, Scotland will be looking to cause an upset against England, in a game where anything really can happen.