Strachan's Scots desperate to face England

The Scottish players and the Tartan Army are on a high following the 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland at the same venue on Friday night which kept 2016 European Championship qualifying hopes very much alive.

Victory over the Auld Enemy would complete a morale-boosting double but the Scots' boss is keen to give some of those who were not involved against the Irish a run-out.

Darren Fletcher missed training today as he was not feeling well while fellow midfielder James Morrison returned after missing the Ireland game due to illness.

Strachan will also "keep an eye" on goalkeeper David Marshall, all of which will also come into consideration when he names his team to face the Three Lions.

"I would like to give everyone the experience of playing in the game but I have to balance it with the fact that I want to win as well," he said.

"That is what we have to think about in the next few hours.

"Everyone who plays wants to compete and make it as difficult as possible for the other team but there are boys who have been 10 days away without getting a competitive touch.

"So you try to make sure that everybody feels part of the squad and sometimes you can put the game at risk, that is the balance we have to find.

"We did some work on Saturday and had time off on Sunday to relax our minds and bodies.

"We put on training today to see what we can do with them, then we had an intensive warm-up and I thought they would take their foot off the gas when it came to the game situation that we put on, but no.

"It was as intense as it was in the first day of pre-season.

"I have so many players wanting to play tomorrow night and it will be as intense tomorrow as it was on Friday."

Much was made about the robust and physical nature of the Celtic clash which ended with the Scots level on seven points with Martin O'Neill's side and Germany, three behind Group D leaders Poland.

England keeper Ben Foster made the headlines with his take on the match: "From watching the game the other night, they were kicking lumps out of each other weren't they?"

However, Strachan, speaking at the team's Mar Hall Hotel base on the outskirts of Glasgow, said: "It was physical but fair. I think people think it was some sort of bloodbath, it was nothing like that.

"It was people going toe to toe and respecting each other. There is a big difference between that and a bloodbath, which we have seen many a time over the years.

"It was a game played in the right manner and everyone gave it their best.

"When you have that you have bumps and bruises but as a football player and manager you have to deal with that.

"I thought it was played in a terrific spirit and I know it is going to be the same tomorrow night."

Strachan, to press home his point, waxed lyrical about Shaun Maloney's crucial 75th-minute winner, which involved Ikechi Anya and skipper Scott Brown at a short corner before Maloney curled the ball past Irish keeper David Forde from around 16 yards.

However, the former Scotland midfielder drew the line at putting it ahead of Archie Gemmill's famous goal for the Scots against Holland in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, which has its own display in Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park.

"I have seen Shaun's goal two or three times now," said the former Celtic boss, who worked with Maloney at Parkhead.

"There are loads of things it could have fallen down on but three or four players put the move together and then Shaun has the difficult bit.

"He was at the point where the whole of Ireland and Scotland are watching him and all those years of practice comes down to these situations.

"I have seen players at clubs get changed and go away but Shaun is not like that. He has been working for years for that moment, to be able to master his craft and do that.

"So it is no fluke but no (not better than Gemmill's goal). Archie's goal is in the Hampden museum.

"Once it gets into the museum you can call it a good goal."