There is no greater rivalry in world football than England versus Scotland. It is the oldest international football fixture dating back to 1872. There is nothing that Scottish fans love more than to defeat the “auld enemy” and they will have every chance to witness that on Friday. England takes on Scotland in a World Cup qualifier that will be vital for both countries chances of making it to Russia 2018. Both teams are coming into this match with recent setbacks to overcome.
England had a disastrous Euro 2016 and the defeat to Iceland was a new low for English international football. Scotland has had their fair share of problems too. Recent qualifying defeats have placed their manager Gordon Strachan under pressure. The consensus is that Scotland will find England a tough nut to crack at Wembley.
Going With the Money
If your betting strategy is to go with the betting masses for this fixture, you can get 4/11 on an England win with William Hill and Coral. The Scots will be really pumped up for this game, and their players will need no motivation to do well. Scotland came to Wembley three years ago for a friendly against England and only lost 3-2 after twice taking the lead.
Scotland will clearly fancy their chances against what is a suspect England team. If Scotland can get an early goal and rattle England, then anything could happen. If you fancy an upset then BetVictor are a best priced 19/2 on a Scotland victory and they quote 19/5 for the draw.
Surely No Chance for San Marino
Germany plays their next Group C fixture on their march to Russia 2018 against San Marino. There is no chance whatsoever of a San Marino victory even though they are the home side. There have been discussions over the years as to whether or not little San Marino should even be an international team at all.
So betting on anything other than a Germany win would be futile. In fact, the odds for a Germany win are so prohibitive that only the alternative odds markets will appeal to bettors. Bet365, for example, quote odds of 6/1 for a 5-0 German victory. That bet could well be worth taking. San Marino is unlikely to score, while Germany will surely score at least three times making those odds quite attractive.
Will Germany Win Group C
German manager Joachim Low has just signed a new contract until 2020. He is leading Germany and trying to defend the trophy they won two years ago. Germany currently lead Group C with maximum points from their opening three matches.
There is nothing to suggest that Germany will not win this group easily given the competition they will face. The Czech Republic are a shadow of their former selves, while Azerbaijan and Northern Ireland are clearly not good enough to top the group. Germany will surely have four wins from four matches by Friday evening.
