What they said: The best quotes ahead of England vs Scotland

England vs Scotland, best quotes

Whether it's Gary Neville, Andy Murray, or Iain Stirling, everyone has had something to say ahead of the grudge match between Scotland and England on Friday evening.

Ahead of the highly-anticipated Euro 2020 match between England and Scotland on Friday night, celebrities, soccer players, ex-pros and managers have all been adding their individual fuel to the flame.

England's opener saw them edge past World Cup finalists Croatia 1-0 thanks to Raheem Sterling's tidy finish in the second half.

In contrast, Scotland fell to a disappointing 2-0 loss to the Czech Republic, courtesy of Patrik Schick's outstanding brace.

With stakes already high at Wembley, many are pointing towards the game's similarity with England and Scotland's clash in Euro 96, piling even more pressure onto the shoulders of the players.

The 'Auld enemy' will be reunited once more and Planet Sport have rounded up all the best quotes surrounding the build-up.

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Gary Neville

Ahead of Friday night's clash, Gary Neville warned the England side of complacency, saying "Scotland will be awkward for England".

Neville also predicted Gareth Southgate to stick with Kieran Trippier at left-back, adding that the England manager "referenced the solidity of the French team. That made me feel he wants a more narrow back four and one that sticks together when in possession."

Listening to GS i feel he will stick with KT at left back. He referenced the solidity of the French team. That made me feel he wants a more narrow back 4 and one that sticks together when in possession. This would change if we were losing but not sure it’s a temporary measure ??‍♂️

— Gary Neville (@GNev2) June 17, 2021

Neville also commented on the possible inclusion of Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, saying "I think that Maguire, if he can get back to a level in between matches, he will come back in.

"But then, I think it's interesting, if he was going to come back in I think he has to come back in certainly against Scotland and if it is not against Scotland, it has to be against Czech Republic in the last [group] game"

Gareth Southgate

Gareth Southgate made sure to address any complacency in his England side this week, saying, "I've never felt I've been involved with an England team that didn't respect Scotland and didn't appreciate how difficult the games were going to be.

"They're teammates with some of those players, so they know exactly what they're capable of. These players have a level of humility that is really important. We pride ourselves on it. We have got to have confidence.

"We can't be shrinking violets going into an experience like this one, so we've got to be prepared and not undersell the event."

Southgate clearly brought the fighting talk to his pre-match press conference, and reiterates that his side is ready for whatever happens on Friday night.

Andy Murray

Speaking to Amazon Prime, Andy Murray expressed his worry towards Scotland's Euro hopes, saying: "I will probably be in a bubble so I will watch it with my team who are all English."

He added, "I hope Scotland don't lose badly, that would be tough".

Known as a proud Scotsman, in 2006 Murray famously said he would "support whoever England were against" at that year's World Cup.

Ally McCoist

Looking forward to the tie, Ally McCoist singled out who he believed could be Scotland's danger man on Friday night.

Speaking to The Mirror, McCoist said, "I think John McGinn's goalscoring record for Scotland has been excellent, he's a key player for us.

"Obviously, we've got key players now in different areas, whether it's [Kieran] Tierney, [Andy] Robertson or [Scott] McTominay - who I thought was the best player on the pitch in the Europa League final, he was excellent.

"But if I was to single out one player for Scotland that I think will be key this year and the tournament it would be John McGinn."

Glenn Hoddle

Former England manager Glenn Hoddle joined in the discussion surrounding the hugely anticipated match and even gave a score prediction.

Speaking to The Express, Hoddle said: "England will prepare with confidence behind them because they've got the win, while Scotland need to pick themselves up after their defeat to the Czech Republic.

"I think England will start the same as they did against Croatia.

"Go for the throat for the first 20 minutes, try to get a goal and settle down and play. I'm going 2-1 to England."

Iain Stirling

The infamous voice of Love Island, and proud Scotsman, Iain Stirling, has stated his intentions to drop everything for the match, even booking a day off work.

Regarding his contractual demands to have the 18th June off work, Stirling said: "Love Island contract negotiations. You hear about them all the time. I wonder what demands people make. Genuinely true, I said that I need to leave early on June 18.

"That was the only thing I told my agent to negotiate with Love Island this year. That is hand-on-my-heart the honest truth. Because that's Scotland, England. So that one's in the bag."

Marcus Rashford

After being dropped for England's opener against Croatia earlier this week, Marcus Rashford insisted he puts the team before himself, and likened the Scotland game to a club match against Liverpool or Manchester City.

In his pre-match conference, Rashford said: "I think in football everyone wants to be beat everyone.

"But in some games… it's how the game is actually being played and the atmosphere and crowd and how much you want to win - it all comes together.

"There is something unique about that game. It's similar to the games against Man City and Liverpool - those type of games you have a different feeling.

"You can't put a finger on it - because you approach every game the same. But the build up, it's just unique and I'm really looking forward to it.

"As players you want to play in the biggest, most historical games. Through our careers this is going to be up there with one of the biggest games that we play, one of the games we remember for the rest of our careers."