France did so by securing a sixth successive Euros qualifying win against the Netherlands (2-1), sealing their spot with two group games to spare. Kylian Mbappé’s double in that win also saw him overtake legend Michel Platini in France’s all-time goalscoring charts, putting him fourth with 42.
Mbappé hadn’t even made his international debut when these sides last met back in June 2016, when Les Bleus netted three unanswered goals to pick up their first success against Scotland in three H2H meetings (L2) that day.
That method of victory has been an ongoing theme for Didier Deschamps’ men this year too, shutting out their opponents in each game they’ve played at home in 2023 so far (W3).
Scotland's bid to reach Euro 2024 was painfully prolonged as they fell to a 2-0 against Spain on Thursday.
Steve Clarke’s men only needed a point and did go a goal up before VAR intervened to controversially rule it out, before two late strikes then settled the contest soon after. Those frustrations were put to bed on Sunday night however, as Spain’s 1-0 win over Norway ensured a top-two finish for Scotland without them having to kick a ball.
While there’s nothing on the line competitively, this is a chance to start building momentum ahead of next summer, particularly for Scotland who come into the game having lost successive matches for the first time since September 2021.
The Tartan Army have also managed just two clean sheets from their last five fixtures, while four of the six goals they have conceded in that time arrived beyond the 60th minute, a concerning trend that Clarke will want to see nipped in the bud here.
Players to watch: Having only made a late second-half substitute appearance against the Netherlands, Marcus Thuram might be in line to get a start here, especially as he’s directly contributed to a goal (G1, A3) in each of his last four appearances for club side Inter.
Everton’s Nathan Patterson also looks sure to start after Merseyside rival Andy Robertson picked up an injury - the wing-back grabbed an assist in his last away start for Scotland (W4-1 vs Armenia, June 2022).
Hot streak: Only one side has scored on the day in each of the last seven H2H meetings.
