Scotland without Lauder as they prepare for Auld Enemy

Scotland head coach Anna Signeul last night confirmed that left back Hayley Lauder has not recovered from a hamstring injury and will miss the Euro 2017 opener against England in Utrecht.

Four further players weren’t even able to travel to the Netherlands, including another left back, Arsenal’s Emma Mitchell.

That means Signeul will have to play her third choice in the Stadion Galgenwaard – the choice is between Hibernian’s Kirsty Smith, who played in some of the qualifiers as a right back, and Bristol City’s Chloe Arthur.

Signeul, who bows out after the tournament, said: “England are very well conditioned to play a high intensity game but that’s something I’m happy with.

“It’s about enjoying the game for us. I am as proud now to hear the Scottish national anthem as I am the Swedish one. I know that it will be a big moment for me when we play our first game in a major tournament.”

Her counterpart, Mark Sampson, claimed that Scotland should have qualified for championships before now.

The England head coach said: “It’s disappointing for the tournament that Kim Little is not here, but Scotland have got some good players, trust me.

“As far as I’m concerned, with the talent they’ve got they shouldn’t be at a major tournament for the first time.

“They should probably have been at the 2015 World Cup and the 2013 Euros. Now they’re here I’m sure they’ll be looking to qualify for the quarter finals.”

The England captain, Steph Houghton, will be marking her Manchester City teammate Jane Ross and she said: “She is a world-class striker who scores a lot of goals, but my job tomorrow is to stop her. We know their strengths but they know ours as well.

“Scotland have big players who can change games, but we have to focus on ourselves.”