England and Scotland share an island, a border and a widespread love of football. But very rarely have they shared such a level of optimism ahead of a major tournament.

As the old rivals prepare to face off in a friendly match marking the 150th anniversary of the oldest international match, both teams have one eye on next summer’s European Championships, in the midst of their championship campaigns. undefeated qualification.

For the first time ever, England and Scotland are all but qualified for next summer’s Euros in Germany with just a few games to play. In fact, Steve Clarke’s Scotland are the star of the home nations in qualifying with a 100 per cent record, amassing two points more than England in an arguably trickier group.

England and Scotland therefore approach Tuesday night’s match with more confidence than they have ever been. The Three Lions, beaten finalists of the last Euro two years ago, should again be among the contenders next summer. But with question marks over Gareth Southgate’s future, this could be the England boss’ last chance to win a trophy.

Meanwhile, two major tournaments in two years under Clarke – after 22 years away from the international spotlight – represent a golden age for Scotland. And with recent scalps against Spain and Ukraine, Scotland will be hoping for more shocks over the next 12 months, starting on Tuesday night against England.

Although England hold the Premier League riches and the Scottish team only have two players taking part in this year’s Champions League, recent history shows that these encounters can still be close despite the difference in experience .

After all, England last tasted victory against Scotland in Gareth Southgate’s first year in charge, back in 2016. The two most recent matches ended in tense draws.

The Scots were minutes away from securing a major victory in a World Cup qualifier at Hampden in 2017 after two memorable free-kicks from Leigh Griffiths, only for Harry Kane to spoil the party with an equalizer in stoppage time game.

Then, in a rain-soaked European Championships group stage match at Wembley, Scotland held England to a 0-0 draw, with Steve Clarke’s side the closest to take the points thanks to two major chances from Steven O’Donnell and Lyndon Dykes.

With Scotland on a five-game winning run, unbeaten in nine and buoyed by recent victories over Spain and Erling Haaland’s Norway, this represents their best chance of beating their rivals after a quarter of a century without a win.

So, is this really a friendly match? No chance.

Southgate: Experimenting would be ridiculous

England coach Gareth Southgate:

“We have to find the balance between physical freshness, experience, getting to know the players, winning and playing well. That’s what is usually expected of us with England. We can’t tinker with it. “team because we are facing a top team at maximum tilt who will give us a high level challenge. You can’t experiment too much because that would be ridiculous.

“It’s horrible considering we play Scotland tomorrow, but I was supporting them in 1978 (at the World Cup) because we didn’t qualify, so I followed that trauma against Peru and the Countries -Low. And we were back in 1982 and from then on it was all about England.

“It’s a great match. I’ve met and worked with many players from this match over the years. It’s a fabulous match. I know there’s a rivalry and people will worry about that let her cross the line, but it’s a brilliant match. sporting rivalry. It’s a great game to be a part of.

“We see this as a test for our team, in an intimidating atmosphere. These kinds of evenings have been important for our progress, so it will be great to discover those who have not yet experienced them. It is a challenge that we “

Clarke: We’re trying to close the gap

Scotland coach Steve Clarke:

“It’s taken 150 years, so they’re still good matches, still competitive matches.

“In the modern era, certainly, in my lifetime, England have probably moved a little bit further ahead. We’re trying to close the gap to them and we’ll find out tomorrow how much we’ve closed that gap.

“It will be a competitive friendly, if you can have such a thing. I think both teams will want to win. Obviously the boys from both sides interact with each other at different clubs. They cross paths all season, so both teams want bragging rights.

“We’re going to try and take from this game what we need to take away from it, so I’ve got some things I want to see on the pitch, testing us against top opposition, who we’re going to come up against more often in the Next 12 to 18 months.

“Gareth will use it however he wants. I don’t think it really matters how both teams prepare or how both sides behave once we get here, [with] the atmosphere of the game. They will be very competitive and it should be a good match.”

Will Colwill and Nketiah have their chances in England?

Rob Dorsett, Sky Sports News senior reporter:

“Kieran Trippier is going to be at the press conference with Gareth Southgate today, which is usually an indication that he’s going to start.

“Does that mean he will be right back instead of Kyle Walker or left rear instead of Ben Chilwell?

“There probably won’t be many changes, it’s an important match.

“This means that it is difficult for Eddie Nketiah. He will be desperate to make his England debut. I would expect Harry Kane to lead the line, so he may have to wait his turn, but I think Southgate will want to get him on the pitch.

“You would probably say the same thing about Levi Colwill. I think Southgate will want to give him game time. It’s possible he starts on the side Harry Maguire. It was Mark Guéhi he played against Ukraine and he made no mistakes. We will wait and see.

“One of the things that could change is the goaltending. We know Jordan Pickford is the first choice but Aaron Ramsdale traveled extensively with England and had very few opportunities. This could be a good opportunity for Southgate to see him in action – or even Sam Johnstone.“

Three memorable matches between England and Scotland

England and Scotland come together at Hampden Park to commemorate 150 years of the oldest international match. A look back at the most memorable matches between these two teams since…

England 2-0 Scotland – Euro 96: A second half that had everything to please. Illusionist Uri Geller claims to have moved the ball to the penalty spot for a 12-yard miss from Gary McAllister, only for Paul Gascoigne to score one of England’s greatest goals for his second. And then the dentist chair party!

England 2-3 Scotland – 1967: The Three Lions were recently crowned world champions – but suffered a shock defeat to Scotland at Wembley to end their 20-match unbeaten run. Denis Law, Bobby Lennox and Jim McCalliog all scored and the Scots held on despite Geoff Hurst and Jack Charlton finding the net.

England 3-2 Scotland – 2013: Rickie Lambert, do you remember him? The former Southampton and Liverpool striker scored with his first – and only truly memorable – touch for England on his debut to settle a thriller after a Kenny Miller double gave the Three Lions a scare.

Follow Scotland v England on Sky Sports’ digital platforms via the live blog on Tuesday evening; kick-off at 7:45 p.m.