Your five-minute guide to Scotland v England

Michael Grant: When the England players emerged in an empty Parkhead for a "walk-around" last night one or two came out of the tunnel wearing headphones. They'll be denied that affectation tonight but shutting out the waves of noise hitting them from the stands should come naturally enough to a group used to handling England and Europe's biggest venues. The fervour of the Scottish support makes these Auld Enemy clashes these days. Even so, let's not get too carried away with ourselves and assume a deafening racket can put players of this calibre off their game.

Jack Wilshere is being made to play as a holding midfielder by Roy Hodgson and the position does not come naturally to him. How will he handle Steven Naismith and Shaun Maloney buzzing at his ankles and relentlessly closing him down? Scotland have to minimise Wilshere's influence at the base of the English midfield. In attack, Danny Welbeck, although not certain to start, has five goals in his last four games for England and Wayne Rooney will be by far the most accomplished footballer on the pitch. Those two pose a real threat.

Big performances are required from four players in particular: Scott Brown needs to set an aggressive but disciplined example in midfield, Chris Martin needs to show he is a goal threat at international level, and central-defenders Russell Martin and Grant Hanley have to be able to handle that English front pair.

Stewart Fisher: Further evidence that this meeting of the Auld Enemy is more than just your run-of-the-mill international friendly comes from the amount of cloak-and-dagger shadow boxing both managers are engaging in with their potential starting line-ups.

Some Scotland players, it seems, have taken none too kindly to the mood music sent out by Gordon Strachan this week that a few of them might be due a rest. Steven Fletcher, sitting back in Wearside with a damaged ankle, certainly won't play, though, which should mean a first international start for Chris Martin, although you wouldn't exactly put it past Strachan to shuffle Steven Naismith back to the main striker's role, to accommodate another small technical player such as Barry Bannan or Chris Burke.

Martin - whose father Gerry is a Celtic fan from Easterhouse - lacks the mobility of Fletcher and Scotland would be a different side with him up there, but he is a hardy competitor who protects the ball well. He could make himself a hero.

Back on his old stomping ground - with No 1 Joe Hart rested - Fraser Forster is expected to get the nod ahead of Ben Foster in the England goal. He racked up some number of clean sheets here in his past life, and having conceded just five times all season long with new club Southampton, will be confident of another. There will be an interesting comparison point with his Celtic replacement Craig Gordon, in the event that David Marshall's groin strain keeps him out.

KEY CLASH

MG: Salmond v Cameron? Thatcher v the miners? Wallace v King Edward I? A few English casuals v Police Scotland? It's all about the history, the baggage and the hinterland when Scotland and England get it on. It's difficult to identify the most significant on-field clash because Strachan and Hodgson have kept their cards close to their chests about their teams. A handful of changes are possible on both sides. If they both play, though, Hanley is going to have to be on his toes to cope with the on-form Welbeck coming at him from inside right.

SF: Ikechi Anya v Nathaniel Clyne. With reference to the previous discussion, the exact make-up of either team won't be clear until just after 7pm, but Anya's pace - or at least the threat of it - is a real feature of this Scotland team. The left flank functioned so well against Seamus Coleman and Aiden McGeady during the Republic of Ireland match on Friday night that Strachan will be tempted to stick with the same personnel. With the inexperienced Clyne of Southampton - or alternatively Calum Chambers of Arsenal - likely to be on Anya detail, the pacy wee Watford man will look to exploit any space left by their ventures forward.

TACTICAL BATTLE

MG: Scotland will want tempo, energy and combativeness. England will try to dominate possession and subdue the crowd by getting the ball early and keeping it. The first few Scottish tackles will meet with thunderous approval and it's up to Strachan's players to keep the heid. Clever, darting interplay from Maloney, Naismith and Anya could pull England's back four out of position and create a chance or two. England's width and pace will really test the Scottish full-backs. It should be a fast, eventful game. Hodgson has more goal threat in his group.

SF: Strachan will try to exploit the fact that neither James Milner nor Jack Wilshere are natural holding players, and has hinted that he may alter Scotland's shape slightly. Attack has been our best form of defence, but rather than a basic Republic of Ireland side who hit long passes to Jon Walters and Shane Long and played off the scraps, this could be a rearguard action against an England side with no shortage of pacy, creative types from middle-to-front to worry about.

Arsenal duo Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck are quick and clever enough to occupy our full backs, Wayne Rooney has the most pedigree of anyone on the pitch, while there may be sightings of young talents like Ross Barkley and Saido Berahino. Six substitutes are permitted, but these must be made at the right time.

SCORE PREDICTION

MG: Scotland 0, England 1. Sorry...

SF: I'll go for 1-1. And for things to get bogged down in the second period with a bewildering array of substitutions.