England vs Scotland: Captain relishing ‘huge opportunity’ against England and reveals English team mate ‘wind up’

Scotland captain Rachel Corsie can’t wait to face England Lionesses at a packed out Stadium Of Light when they meet in the UEFA Nations League this Friday.

Rachel Corsie of Scotland battles for possession with Ellen White of England during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.(Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Scotland captain Rachel Corsie is no stranger to an Auld Enemy clash but with over 40,000 fans expected at the Stadium of Light this Friday night there’s no doubting this one feels special.

The first game in a tough UEFA Nations League group, Pedro Martinez Losa’s side will enter the game against the Lionesses in buoyant mood having won the last four consecutive games and the 34-year-old skipper admits it’s a night the whole team are savouring.

“As a team, we really relish these opportunities and you’ve seen that recently. I thought we were excellent against Australia (where Scotland won 1-0) and I think that is because we really relish these opportunities to play the big nations.

“England are up there with the very best at the moment and that is going to test us” said the Scotland skipper.

Young stars Emma Watson, Lauren Davidson and Kirsty MacLean are just three players tipped for huge Scotland futures. With all three likely feature this coming Friday, Corsie admits playing in front of a capacity crowd away from home can only help develop them even further.

“It’ll be great for them. They’re football fans so they get the game and they love it. They’re superb players - seriously, seriously good players. They’ll be a moment for all of us when you take in the stands and the noise, but that’s a nice feeling in a way. In the moment it doesn’t always feel like that, but you find a way to make it a nice feeling.

DUNDEE, SCOTLAND - JULY 14: Lauren Davidson is one of many exciting young Scottish talents that could feature against England this Friday. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

“Once the whistle starts it levels a little bit. They’ll be nerves for them (the young players), there will be for all of us, nerves aren’t something that only hit a few people.

“Everyone has their own ways to manage. I think all the players know that is where the game is going and even if they’ve not experienced loads of examples of it this is a great opportunity for us all to play in the environment. It’s a huge opportunity.”

Corsie also points to the emergence of professional teams in Scottish Women’s Premier League as a huge factor for the surge in talented young Scots as she called on the countries biggest women’s teams to "keep pushing".

“I caught a lot of the action towards the end of last season and I thought the competitiveness was better than it has ever been. We need that - and we need to keep it going because there’s a little bit of a gap. There’s a numbers of clubs investing now and we need to keep encouraging those clubs to do more and more.”

While the Women’s Super League has yet to start, the defender admits herself and Aston Villa team Rachel Daly have already started the verbal tennis in pre-season training ahead of the clash.

“We’ve spoken about it little bit” laughed the Scotland skipper.

“More so the last couple of days and weeks. I think it’s kind of a nice one. I’ve played with and against Rach for years. She’s the type of person that enjoys that, a bit of banter and winding each other up. We enjoy it.

“There’s a lot of respect between the two sides. There’s lot of players know each other on both sides and I think you love that but you understand that once you cross that line it is Scotland and England and you enjoy that challenge - there’s no doubt it will a tough contest.”

Scotland face the Lionesses this Friday at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, with kick off scheduled for 7.45pm. The game is live on STV and coverage starts at 7.30pm, with Seema Jaswal presenting the show.