England are currently 10/27 to win the group, with Croatia available at 11/4, Czech Republic at 11/1 while Scotland are the 18/1 outsiders.
Two of the sides were in the same qualifying group, with England finishing ahead of Czech Republic – although the only loss for Gareth Southgate’s men did come in Prague.
It was England’s firepower that was so impressive in qualifying though, scoring 37 goals in their eight games compared to 13 from their nearest rivals.
Having reached the World Cup final in 2018, Croatia were expected to make light work of their qualifying group.
Zlatko Dalic’s squad did claim top spot and lost just one game, although they finished just three points above runners-up Wales and four ahead of third-placed Slovakia.
Scotland meanwhile, after finishing third in their group, needed the play-offs to reach their first major tournament since 1998 and seem to be hitting form heading into the Euros.
British Base Can Help England and Scotland
All six matches will be played at either Wembley or Hampden Park and that ‘home’ advantage could prove significant for both England and Scotland.
With crowds expected to be back in the stands in time for the summer, the Three Lions – who are 5/1 to win the tournament – will have a big backing for their three group games at Wembley.
Two of Scotland’s group fixtures will be in Glasgow and when you consider they are unbeaten in their last six games at Hampden, Steve Clarke will feel his players can take full advantage of being on home soil.
With Croatia and Czech Republic both well supported on their travels, you can expect packed stands for all six of the Group D encounters.
England Can Make a Statement
When England made the semi-finals of Euro 96 – their best run at the European Championships – they had a stand out performance to make the rest of the teams sit up and take notice.
That display was the 4-1 win over the Netherlands and a similar result in 2021 could provide a stepping stone to success for Southgate’s men.
England will be seeking World Cup revenge in their opening clash, when they face a Croatia team that beat them in the semi-finals in Russia.
Since then, Southgate has seen his team collect a win and a draw in their Nations League meetings with Croatia – with the 2-1 victory coming at Wembley.
England v Croatia is the opening game of the group, with Southgate’s men 5/6 to claim a victory, Croatia are 15/4 and the draw is 47/20.
England also have a winning head-to-head record against Czech Republic, with two wins, a draw and a defeat in their four previous meetings.
Scotland v England meetings have gone the way of the English in recent times, with three wins and a draw for the Three Lions in the last four games – including a 3-0 success at Wembley in 2016.
Steve Clarke will be buoyed though by the head-to-head stats against Croatia, a team Scotland have never lost to. While the Scots have also won their last three meetings with Czech Republic, who they play in their opener, with the Scots 33/20 to collect a win.
*All odds correct at time of writing
