TONIGHT’S Wembley showdown is only the eighth competitive Auld Enemy clash excluding the Home International Championship and short-lived Rous Cup.
Here, SunSport’s IAN PASSINGHAM looks at the historical results of this powderkeg fixture . . .
April 15, 1950 (World Cup qualifying)
Scotland 0 England 1 (Bentley 63)
SCOTLAND snubbed the chance to join England at the World Cup for the first time after this Hampden defeat.
With the Home Internationals doubling as qualifying for Brazil, the SFA stubbornly stuck to a pre-tournament pledge to not send a team unless Scotland finished top.
April 3, 1954 (World Cup qualifying)
Scotland 2 (Brown 7, Ormond 89) England 4 (Broadis 13, Nicholls 50, Allen 68, Mullen 83)
A NEW-LOOK England featuring four new caps silenced a 134,544 Hampden crowd in the Three Lions’ first match their 1953 Wembley humiliation by Hungary.
With the Home Championship again used for qualification, England finished top ahead – with runners-up Scotland deciding they WOULD go to the finals this time.
April 15, 1967 (Euro 68 qualifying)
England 2 (J Charlton 84, Hurst 88) Scotland 3 (Law 27, Lennox 78, McCalliog 87)
ENGLAND’S bid to add the European title to their world crown was rocked by their first defeat in 20 games.
Two seasons of Home International fixtures were used for qualifying, with the group winners going through.
With no subs allowed, England had FIVE players injured at Wembley and Sir Alf Ramsey said: “We were severely handicapped by our injuries. I can only hope we have 11 fit men at Hampden next year.”
February 24, 1968 (Euro 68 qualifying)
Scotland 1 (Hughes 39) England 1 (Peters 19)
SIR ALF RAMSEY claimed Scotland got off lightly as England qualified for a Euro ’68 quarter-final with Spain.
With the Scots having lost to Northern Ireland, England got the draw they needed at Hampden but Ramsey claimed: “Let’s face it, we completely outclassed them.”
June 15, 1996 (Euro 96 finals)
Scotland 0 England 2 (Gascoigne 79, Shearer 53)
TERRY VENABLES admitted he feared the hosts’ Euro ’96 hopes were jinxed before David Seaman’s Wembley penalty save.
At 1-0, Seaman denied Gary McAllister the chance to equalise and Venables said: “I was thinking it just wasn’t our tournament, but we escaped. It’s a terrific victory.”
November 13, 1999 (Euro 2000 play-off 1st leg)
Scotland 0 England 2 (Scholes 21, 42)
KEVIN KEEGAN urged England not to blow it after two Paul Scholes headers put them in control.
The England boss said: “Hampden is still an intimidating place to come after all these years. We’ve worked really hard to get into the driving seat – now we have to drive. If we don’t it would be a terrible waste.”
November 17, 1999 (Euro 2000 play-off 2nd leg)
England 0 Scotland 1 (Hutchison 39)
CAPTAIN Alan Shearer admitted England “made bloody hard work” of qualifying.
Scotland came within a whisker of taking the play-off into extra-time when David Seaman had to pull off a late wonder save from Christian Dailly.
Shearer said: “Scotland were wounded and they came here and gave us one hell of a fight. We can’t kid ourselves. We won’t win the European Championships playing like that.”
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