Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's World Cup qualifying match between England and Scotland at Wembley! This fixture is as old as international football itself and is steeped in history, with so many memorable encounters between the Auld enemies. We will hopefully see another classic to add to the annals this evening, and there is plenty riding on the game with World Cup qualification shaping up and the futures of both managers still uncertain. First, though, let's have a look at the two teams...

ENGLAND STARTING XI: Hart; Walker, Cahill, Stones, Rose; Dier, Henderson; Sterling, Rooney, Lallana; Sturridge

ENGLAND SUBS: Clyne, Heaton, Walcott, Jagielka, Bertrand, Townsend, Kane, Vardy, Rashford, Wilshere, Lingard, Pickford

SCOTLAND STARTING XI: Gordon; Anya, Hanley, Berra, Wallace; Fletcher, Morrison, Brown; Snodgrass, Griffiths, Forrest

SCOTLAND SUBS: Marshall, Hamilton, R.Martin, Kingsley, Paterson, Bannan, Burke, Ritchie, Naismith, McArthur, C.Martin, S.Fletcher

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, the headline for England was confirmed during the pre-match press conference by Gareth Southgate as Wayne Rooney returns to the starting lineup. The captain was left out against Slovenia last time out having also been dropped by Manchester United amid fierce criticism over his form. However, he has begun to show slight signs of his former self at club level recently and is rewarded with a recall to Southgate's side for this game having scored twice in the most recent meeting between these two old rivals.

Rooney is expected to play in the number 10 role having acted as a central midfielder in his most recent games for England, with Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge leading the line. The striker has struggled for first-team football at Anfield this season due to the form of Mane, Coutinho and Firmino, but he has shown glimpses of his quality whenever he has been given the chance by Jurgen Klopp. His selection means that Harry Kane, who recently returned from a seven-week absence in the North London derby, only makes the bench alongside Vardy and Rashford.

In all, Southgate has made just three changes to the side that was held by Slovenia last time out, with all three of those coming in the position just behind the striker. Sterling and Lallana both missed the game in Ljubljana due to injury, but they return this evening having been in sparkling form for their clubs. Sterling is beginning to look like the player his potential promised under Pep Guardiola, while Lallana has really flourished this season under Klopp. However, the latter has done his best work in a central midfield position this season, whereas today he is expected to play in a wider role.

Lallana's club teammate Jordan Henderson retains his place in the middle of the park alongside Eric Dier, who has more often than not featured as a centre-back for Spurs recently due to the injury to Alderweireld. Dier is one of three Spurs players in the side as Walker and Rose play in the full-back roles - preferred to Clyne and Bertrand - while Cahill and Stones once again provide the partnership at the heart of the defence. Torino loanee Joe Hart is between the sticks.

As for Scotland, the biggest question over their selection was who would lead the line. Steven Fletcher was a doubt for the game due to a knee injury and sure enough only makes the bench, while Chris Martin also starts as a sub despite scoring four goals in his last five games for Fulham. Gordon Strachan has given the nod to Celtic's Leigh Griffiths up front tonight, although he has found himself playing second fiddle to Moussa Dembele at Celtic Park this campaign. He certainly has goals in him, though, so he is one that England will need to be wary of.

Strachan's side are expected to line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Forrest and Snodgrass providing the width in the attacking three. The latter in particular has been in good form this season, finding himself directly involved in half of Hull's 10 Premier League goals this season. He was initially expected to miss this game through injury, but he has returned ahead of schedule and didn't seem to be suffering any rust when he came off the bench to inspire Hull to their first league win since August last time out - scoring the first before setting up the winner moments later.

A notable inclusion in the starting XI is Scott Brown, who initially retired from international football before the qualifying campaign but has now performed a U-turn and goes straight back into the side having overcome a dead leg. The armband remains on Darren Fletcher alongside Brown in the middle of the park, though, while James Morrison - who scored on Scotland's last visit to Wembley - completes the midfield trio.

In all there are no fewer than eight changes from the side that was beaten by Slovakia last time out, with Hanley, Fletcher and Snodgrass the only players to keep their place from that heavy defeat. Gordon replaces Marshall in goal tonight, while Anya, Berra and Wallace all come into the defence as Paterson, Martin and Tierney drop out. McArthur, Bannan, Steven Fletcher and Ritchie are the other players to miss out, all of whom drop to the bench.

It is a much-changed Scotland side, then, and that perhaps is a suggestion of the uncertainty that surrounds the team at the moment. Things are no more certain for England, though, the tonight's match will be Gareth Southgate's penultimate one as interim boss. Southgate was given a four-game contract to steady the ship after Sam Allardyce's ill-fated reign came to a premature end, and tonight's game and Tuesday's friendly against Spain will see that come to an end.

Southgate is the favourite to land the job on a permanent basis when the FA finally decide on Allardyce's successor, but England's results under the former Under-21 boss have not exactly struck fear into the rest of the world. The Three Lions dominated Malta at Wembley in his first game at the helm yet only managed a 2-0 victory, while against Slovenia last time out they were held to a drab goalless draw that brought an end to their 100% start in just their third game of qualifying and ended a 14-match winning streak in qualifiers.

It would be a big ask for any manager to rekindle the interest of the nation in such a short period, though, and as far as England's current position is concerned, they are still sitting pretty at the top of Group F. Seven points from their opening three games leaves them two clear of Lithuania and Slovenia and three above tonight's opponents, so qualification remains very much in their own hands. They are yet to concede a goal either - one of only four teams who are able to boast that in World Cup qualifying.

Perhaps the biggest problem for the England team right now - if we can ignore their consistent failures at major tournaments for one moments - is the waning level of interest for the national team. It should be noted that England repeatedly get higher attendances than almost any other national side in world football, but the general level of people who care about how they get on in these qualifying games is undoubtedly falling. It will take a big chance in the team's style for that to improve, and the fact that they have scored just three goals in the current qualifying campaign is not exactly encouraging. Only Malta have scored fewer in Group F, while England are the lowest-scoring group leaders in qualifying.

Still, though, England are able to churn out results, particularly in qualifying. They are unbeaten in their last 32 qualifying matches stretching back more than seven years to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Ukraine in October 2009. No fewer than 24 of those have ended as wins too, including a run of 14 on the bounce before the draw against Slovenia last time out. In terms of solely World Cup qualifiers England are unbeaten in 14 -= including 10 clean sheets - and have only lost two of 40 since their 1-0 reverse at the hands of Germany in 2000, which was the last match at the old Wembley.

The new Wembley has become a bit of a fortress too, with only one defeat in their 23 competitive matches here since the stadium reopened. That defeat came at the hands of Croatia as they prevented Steve McClaren's England from reaching Euro 2008, since when England have gone 20 competitive games unbeaten at the stadium. They have won 13 of their last 14 outings on home soil since back-to-back defeats at the hands of Chile and Germany in November 2013, with the only blemish on their record in that time coming against Netherlands in March.

England have also won 15 of their last 16 World Cup qualifiers at home and are unbeaten in 19 since that defeat to Germany in 2000, winning 17 of those. They have won each of their last five, scoring 17 goals and conceding just one in the process since a 1-1 draw with Ukraine in September 2012. Home and away, England have only lost one of their last 10 outings in all competitions, but that was the embarrassing 2-1 defeat to Iceland that sent them crashing out of Euro 2016.

There are plenty of formidable statistics facing Scotland ahead of tonight's match, then, but this is very much a derby match in international terms and form can often go out the window on such occasions. The rivalry probably means that little bit more to the Scots too as they have so often been the underdogs when coming up against England, so you can be sure that Gordon Strachan's side will arrive at Wembley fired up for the game.

Looking purely at football matters, though, there is no doubt that they go into the game as underdogs once again. The Tartan Army have certainly shown signs of improvement since Gordon Strachan took over, picking up encouraging results against Croatia in the last World Cup qualifying campaign and holding their own against the likes of Germany and Poland in their ultimately unsuccessful bid to reach Euro 2016, but that progress seems to have stalled recently.

As a result, there have been calls for Strachan to step down from his post, and tonight's match could end up being a decisive night for both managers when it comes to their future. Scotland have won just one of their last five outings in all competitions, with that coming against Group F's bottom team Malta in their opening qualifying game. They have failed to score in three of those five games too, conceding nine goals and not keeping a single clean sheet in the process.

October's international break really piled the pressure on Strachan as they came away from games against Lithuania and Slovakia with just one point, leaving their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup hanging in the balance. A 1-1 home draw with Lithuania was considered a very disappointing result, and things got even worse three days later when they were swept aside by Slovakia in a 3-0 defeat. Tonight's match is their last of 2016, and another convincing loss could see Scotland begin 2017 with a new man at the helm.

Those October results left Scotland fourth in Group F, although things are still quite tight after only three games and a victory tonight would change things completely. They are only three points adrift of leaders England and one off Lithuania and Slovenia, so they are by no means out of the running yet. There is only room for one automatic qualifier - expected to be England - and one team to go into the playoffs, though, so the competition for that second place will be fierce. Scotland certainly cannot afford too many more dropped points.

Scotland have only won two of their last eight qualifying matches for a major tournament, and those two victories came against minnows Gibraltar and Malta. Indeed, their most recent win aside from those two also came against Gibraltar, and you have to go back to November 2014 for the last time Scotland beat a team of a similar standing in a competitive match, doing so against Republic of Ireland in their bid to reach Euro 2016. In terms of World Cup qualifiers Scotland have won three of their last five - which is the same number as in their previous 14 - but just one of those has come in the current campaign.

Away from home Scotland have lost three of their last four outings, failing to even score in each defeat, although they did make up for that somewhat with five goals in Malta during their opening qualifying game. Their record over the last six away games in all competitions is won three and drawn three, which isn't a terrible record for a team of Scotland's stature, and in World Cup qualifiers they have won three of their last four on the road - although the exception was the 3-0 defeat in Slovakia last time out. Incidentally, Scotland have not drawn an away World Cup qualifier since 2005.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Wembley, which means that it is time for a prediction! This is a big game for both teams, and perhaps just as importantly both managers too. It should be a passionate affair, with matches between these two old rivals relatively rare nowadays, but I am backing England to come out on top. Their qualifying record - particularly at home - is very strong, and they simple have more quality in their squad than Scotland too. I'll go for 2-0 to the hosts!

This will be just the third meeting between these two sides this century, and England have won both of the previous two. The first 21st century clash between the Auld enemies came in August 2013 when England twice came from behind at Wembley before eventually running out 3-2 winners thanks to Rickie Lambert's winner - scored with his first touch in international football. The two sides met against in November 2014, with England running out 3-1 winners at Celtic Park on that occasion.

You have to go all the way back to 1999 for the last competitive meeting between these two sides, though, and that time it went the way of Scotland. Don Hutchison got the only goal of the game at Wembley, but England still progressed from the Euro 2000 playoff courtesy of a 2-1 aggregate victory. These two have met in two previous World Cup qualifying matches, incidentally, with England winning in both 1950 and 1954.

You can probably expect this game to go down to the wire based on recent England displays, with five of their last seven wins coming courtesy of goals scored in the 83rd minute or later. England's last 10 goals in qualifying games have also come from 10 different players, so Scotland will need to be wary of threats all over the park. You can also expect England to dominate possession today - only Germany (71.9%) and Spain (71.8%) have averaged more possession than the Three Lions (71.2%) so far in qualifying, while only Germany (89.6%) have a better pass accuracy (89.1%).

Right, we're just about ready to go at Wembley! The players are out, complete with the poppy-adorned armbands that have caused such a stir in the build-up to this match. Before kickoff, though, we will have a minute of silence for Armistice Day.

Impeccably observed from both sets of fans and players. Both players peel away to form their own huddles, and we're now just seconds from kickoff.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Leigh Griffiths gets us underway for the latest installment of this famous fixture.

The first shot of the night comes from Darren Fletcher, but it is a mis-hit one that doesn't cause Hart any problems whatsoever.

Stones tries to take on Griffiths but is quickly robbed of possession and the visitors immediately break forward. The ball eventually comes to Wallace on the left and he cuts inside and goes for goal, but it deflects easily into the arms of Hart.

England win a free kick in a good crossing position on the right flank, but Rooney's delivery is nodded back into the arms of the keeper by Hanley. The defender got away with one a bit there as he didn't intend to head it back to Gordon!

Two players who won't need any firing up for this game clash as Rooney goes through the back of Brown, drawing a wry smile from the Scotland midfielder. He will relish that physical battle.

It hasn't been the most confident of starts for England on the ball here. They have been a little sloppy so far, with Scotland looking to press them quickly and get into their hosts in the opening 10 minutes.

Dier swings a cross into the box that Gordon looks set to collect, but Berra darts in front of his keeper to take charge and clear. Scotland quickly break up the other end and almost break in following a couple of misplaced passes from Stones and Henderson, but England escape.

A hint of a penalty shout for the hosts as Sterling goes to ground inside the area, but referee Cuneyt Cakir waves the claims away. Wallace was the man who made the contact, but it was a 50-50 aerial challenge and it would have been a soft spot kick.

UPDATE: There have been a couple of early goals in another of the matches in Group F tonight, with Slovakia taking a 2-0 lead against Lithuania. Lithuania, remember, started the night second in the group.

Decent spell of possession for England as they look to settle into this game, which they haven't really managed to do so far. No big chances to speak of for either side yet!

Stones is again almost caught in possession, but once again manages to escape. Scotland seem to have targeted the Man City defender as a possible way to get at England tonight, and there have been encouraging signs for the visitors so far.

England have a couple of chances to put the ball into the box as first Rooney delivers a free kick and then Henderson picks the loose ball up at the back post and sends in a cross of his own. Both times Scotland deal with the danger, though.

SHOT! England win a free kick in a good shooting position and Rooney pulls rank over Dier to take it on. His effort clips off the top of the wall on its way a few yards wide, though.

One chance, one goal for England as Daniel Sturridge breaks the deadlock! Sterling's effort from outside the area is blocked and the ball falls to Walker, who bursts into the box before sending a cross into the middle. Sturridge is there to steer a sharp header into the far corner and give England the lead. No sign of rust despite his lack of game time at Liverpool there!

Almost a chance for Scotland to respond immediately as the ball breaks to Griffiths on the edge of the box, but Stones gets himself in the way of the effort and it deflects behind for a corner.

CHANCE! Big chance for Scotland! The first corner comes to nothing but Scotland win another moments later and Hanley is left completely unmarked at the back post. He almost seems shocked that he has so much time, though, and gets his header all wrong.

He is yet to find the back of the net in the Premier League this season, but he is on form for his country...

SHOT! Real chance for Scotland to break as Griffiths latches on to a poor pass from Rooney, who claims that the intended target Henderson was blocked off. Suddenly the visitors have a two-on-one situation, but Griffiths ignores Snodgrass and goes for goal himself, only to see his effort deflect into the arms of the keeper.

Scotland's brightest attacking moments so far this evening have come as a result of England's defensive errors, so Southgate will be feeling relatively comfortable now. The hosts have been a little sloppy at the back, but if they can get rid of those mistakes then it is hard to see where a Scotland breakthrough will come from here.

SHOT! Another shooting chance for Fletcher as he skips past one defender just outside the area before going for goal. However, he can't keep his effort down and fires it over the bar.

Here is the goal that currently separates the two sides...

Another penalty claim for England, but once again the referee says no. This time Rose is the man who goes down under contact from Snodgrass, but the contact was accidental and Rose went to ground relatively theatrically. Another correct decision from Cuneyt Cakir.

Chance for England to break as Fletcher doesn't put enough on his header and Lallana is quick to latch on to the loose ball. He plays it out to Rooney, but the captain's attempted pass back inside is cut out.

Just five minutes remain in this first half now, and there is a surprisingly flat atmosphere inside Wembley at the moment. Clear-cut chances have been relatively few and far between in this one, with Sturridge's goal the only moment of real quality we have seen so far.

The game has just been broken up by a couple of fouls in the last few minutes, with Sterling on the end of most of them. Nobody pulling out of anything here, as you would expect.

It hasn't been great from England in this first half. They have been sloppy with their passing at times and have given Scotland sniffs, but they are still ahead and that is the main thing.

The referee brings an end to the first half, then, and it is England who go into the break ahead despite a less than convincing display in that opening 45 minutes. The visitors have harried and hounded England well and the hosts have been pretty sloppy at times, but they have the all-important lead.

It was Daniel Sturridge who scored the only goal of that first half, reacting quickly to Walker's cross with a sharp header into the far corner. The ball broke kindly to Walker on the right flank and his first touch sent him to the byline before he knocked the ball into the middle at some pace. Sturridge got his head on it to steer it home, leaving Gordon no chance in the Scotland goal.

Aside from the goal, clear chances have been few and far between so far and the best two have arguably fallen to Scotland. The visitors had a glorious opening to restore parity just three minutes after falling behind when Hanley was left completely unmarked at the back post from a corner, but the space almost seemed to panic the defender and he could only nod over the crossbar when he should have done better. Griffiths also had a good chance in a two-on-one with Snodgrass, but he went for goal himself and his deflected effort was easy for Hart.

As far as England are concerned, the closest they have come to another goal was via a free kick when Rooney's effort clipped the top of the wall on its way over the crossbar. Scotland, meanwhile, have had a Fletcher effort that flew over with 10 minutes remaining of the half, but there has been a shortage of goalmouth action for the most part.

KICKOFF: England get us back underway for the second half as they look to take another step towards the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

It has been another rather slow start to this half from England. Scotland are full of energy and desire, but don't really have the quality in the final third.

CHANCE! Another chance for Scotland to level things up! They come forward down the left through Wallace, whose cross into the middle looks to be heading for Griffiths. He dummies the ball for Forrest, though, and the winger ends up dragging his effort wide when he should have done better.

CHANCE! Scotland will need to take one of these sooner or later! This time the ball is cut back to Snodgrass in the area, but Stones is well placed to make a crucial block to deny the Hull man.

Well, it's not been a classic display from England, but they have been clinical. It is another Liverpool man on the scoresheet, and it is another header too as Lallana steers his effort into the far corner following a slick team move. Long way back for Scotland now, and they must be rueing those missed chances.

CHANCE! The chances are flowing in this second half! It is another good move from the visitors as Morrison bursts on to a through-ball into the box, but his shot is straight at Hart, who collects it with relative ease.

YELLOW CARD! Griffiths is the first name in the book this evening for a sliding challenge on Rose.

YELLOW CARD! Cahill quickly follows Griffiths into the book for a cynical challenge on Forrest. That means he will miss the next qualifier through suspension.

SHOT! The resulting free kick is only cleared as far as the edge of the box where Griffiths is waiting, but he takes on a difficult first-time volley and fires it well over.

Almost a chance for England at the other end as Rooney gets on the end of a deep cross at the back post and nods the ball into a dangerous area, forcing Hanley into an awkward clearance.

Game over? England have their third of the night as Cahill darts to the front post and glances Rooney's corner into the far corner. It is a third header of the night and another one that left the keeper with little chance. 3-0 is very harsh on Scotland, but England have taken their chances while the visitors have not.

Where does this leave Gordon Strachan if the scoreline remains the same? A 3-0 defeat to your fiercest rivals certainly doesn't look good on paper, but with some better finishing Scotland could easily be level in this game.

Rose launches himself into a challenge on Snodgrass right on the edge of the box, prompting calls for a penalty. The referee says no, but the replay shows that it was a very heavy challenge. It was risky from Rose there!

SCOTLAND SUB: The visitors make their first change of the evening as James McArthur replaces Morrison.

There doesn't seem to be any way back for Scotland now, and the final 20 minutes may be something of a damage limitation mode. England are by no means rampant here, but Scotland have afforded them three chances and all of them have been snapped up.

CHANCE! What was I saying about England being prolific? Sterling misses an absolute sitter as Henderson whips a cross into the box that finds the Man City winger at the back post. He is just a couple of yards out, but the ball is bouncing awkwardly and he spoons his effort well over. Not as easy as it looked, but he still should have scored.

A deep cross from Forrest finds Snodgrass at the back post, but the Hull man goes for goal with his head from a tight angle when it would have been better to knock it back across goal.

ENGLAND SUB: England make their first change of the night as Jamie Vardy replaces Sturridge.

Good attacking pressure form England as Sterling looks for a pass or a shot inside the box, but his eventual through-ball towards Vardy is just too heavy and goes behind for a goal kick.

SCOTLAND SUB: Another change for the visitors as Callum Paterson replaces Anya, who has limped off with an injury.

Meanwhile, England win a free kick in a promising attacking position after a Scott Brown foul on Sterling. It may be a little too far out for a shot, but Rooney and Dier are looking interested...

It is Dier, but his effort hits Hanley in the wall and goes behind for a corner.

SCOTLAND SUB: A third and final change for Scotland as Snodgrass is replaced by Matt Ritchie.

England are controlling possession here, just seeing the game out in the closing stages. Both sides know the result is in the bag, but England want to ensure that they keep their clean sheet too.

Scotland have, unsurprisingly, lost all of their belief here. That third goal was really the killer for them, but things could have been so different had Scotland taken some of their chances.

There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this match.

YELLOW CARD! Rooney goes into the book for a trip on Griffiths, and the skipper can have no complaints.

The referee brings an end to proceedings at Wembley, then, and it is England who are celebrating at the final whistle courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Scotland. The scoreline flatters Gareth Southgate's side, it must be said, but they were simply more clinical than Scotland on the night. Headed goals from Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill were enough to give England another three points on the road to Russia, while Scotland's qualification hopes are in trouble now.

Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as England take another step towards the World Cup with a 3-0 win over the Auld enemy Scotland. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!