Gemmill: England Under-21s good enough to play at full international level
Scot Gemmill believes his Scotland Under-21s will come up against an England side on Friday night good enough to cut it at full international level.
The Scots take on the Auld Enemy at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium in a Euro 2019 qualifier.
Three Lions boss Aidy Boothroyd has Premier League starlets like Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, Everton midfielder Tom Davies, Crystal Palace's Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Leicester striker Demarai Gray at his disposal.
And Gemmill has little doubt about the quality of opposition facing his side.
"It's a great fixture for both teams," he said. "No matter the age group there is always a sense of occasion when the two teams meet.
"That will be the case on Friday so we're looking forward to it.
"Are this England Under-21 side as strong as some full international sides? That's a very valid point.
"One of their players (Tottenham's Harry Winks) has just been called into the full squad so that supports that point.
"So the challenge to the young players here is to show they can get over this hurdle and prove they are (good) enough to go to the next level themselves.
"I don't see it as a test for them, I see it as an opportunity. They should want to be playing the so-called top seeds.
"It's almost like being fast-tracked if you can show you can play at this level."
The Scots got their Group 4 campaign off to the perfect start with a surprise 2-0 win over Holland in Paisley last month.
But Gemmill admits there is little point him talking up his team's chance of repeating that feat against the English if they do not replicate their Dutch display on the pitch.
The Scots boss - whose team also face Latvia next Tuesday - said: "It's easy to talk about beating a side like England but you need to find a way to get a result on the day.
"It's easy to talk about the preparation and the plans for the game. It doesn't matter what the level is, though, the players have to be ready to execute the game plan.
"But last month's result shows the levels the players are capable of reaching and of course that helps with confidence. But they are all good players, playing at a high level so there's no problem with belief.
"If you want to play at the top level as a team, you have to show you can do both sides of the game. Out of possession you must defend with real organisation and intelligence.
"But you also have to be good enough to keep the ball and give the opposition problems. Against Holland we managed to get the balance right and we'll have to do the same again on Friday if we're to be successful.