Gareth Southgate's side are sitting pretty at the top of Group F heading into the latest round of fixtures, with four wins and one draw from their first five matches putting them in a strong position at the midway stage of the campaign. The true test will come in Russia next summer, though: England have frequently advanced to tournaments with relative ease, before coming unstuck as soon as they meet another major force. The European Championship in France last year was arguably the nadir of recent times, as the Three Lions exited at the hands of minnows Iceland in the first knockout round. Avoiding such an embarrassment will be the first objective next June and July, but England at least look set to qualify pretty comfortably.
It is a different tale entirely for Scotland, who have not taken part in an international tournament since the 1998 World Cup in France. Their wait for an appearance looks set to go beyond a 20th year, too: Gordon Strachan's men have amassed seven points from a possible 15 up to now, which leaves them six points adrift of England and two behind Slovakia, who currently occupy the play-off spot. It would be an exaggeration to call Saturday's encounter a 'must-win game', but it is certainly true that the Scots cannot really afford many more slip-ups as they bid to book a place in Russia next summer.
Fraser Forster and Tom Heaton are now pushing Joe Hart for the No.1 jersey, but the Manchester City man will still probably start between the sticks on Saturday. Harry Kane, fresh off the back of another stellar season for Tottenham Hotspur at club level, will lead the line up top, with Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana and Dele Alli in contention to provide the ammunition in behind. At the back, centre-halves Gary Cahill and John Stones will probably be flanked by Kyle Walker on the right and Ryan Bertrand on the left.
Strachan has, for the most part, opted for a squad of experience, with 19-year-old Kieran Tierney and 22-year-old Stephen Kingsley the only youngsters selected. Bournemouth's Ryan Fraser, 23, is in line to receive his first cap, while older players such as Darren Fletcher, Steven Naismith, Scott Brown, Russell Martin and Craig Gordon are all expected to be involved. Scotland will defend deep and cede possession in front of their own supporters, with counter-attacks and set-pieces their most likely route to goal.
Taking everything into account, it is worth backing England to emerge victorious at Hampden Park this weekend. Scotland simply do not possess the same amount of quality as their upcoming opponents, and over the course of the 90 minutes that should shine through. A Three Lions win to nil is probably the way to go here, with Alli an astute choice to find the back of the net anytime.
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