Scotland defender Christophe Berra believes England will be under huge pressure to avoid defeat at Hampden this weekend.
Gordon Strachan’s side’s bid to qualify for next year’s World Cup finals in Russia looked doomed for failure when it followed up a dismal 1-1 draw with Lithuania last October with successive 3-0 defeats by Slovakia and England.
But a 1-0 victory against Slovenia in March has given the national team fresh optimism ahead of Saturday’s Auld Enemy encounter.
Despite that victory, Gareth Southgate’s side will be highly fancied to record another comfortable win this weekend but Berra, who joined Hearts for the second time last month, says the Scotland players are feeling optimistic they can record a shock.
He said: “England have some top players but they will have a bit of a fear factor as well. There is a lot of pressure on them.
“If they lose against us then the press will ridicule them. I always say the press is bad here but if you go to other countries such as Spain, Italy and Germany then the press will be the same and you will get stick.
“That is part and parcel of football and sport. They are under pressure to do well, it is going to be a tough game for both teams.”
Berra, the former Ipswich player, has not played since losing 3-0 against Nottingham Forest on May 7 but the 32-year-old insists match sharpness won’t be an issue.
He said: “We’ve got a good set of professionals who all look after themselves. Training has been tough but the boys all look good. We’ll be on it and the rest side of it is important.
“We’ve had a bit of rest, so we might come back a bit refreshed. In a one-off game, adrenalin will get you through it. The boys will be ready.”
England hold a four-point advantage at the top of Group F and possess plenty of potential problems for Berra and the rest of the Scotland team to worry about.
Spurs’ Harry Kane, who scored 35 goals in 39 appearances last season, will be the main concern.