Conflict of interest hangs over England’s showdown with Scotland

England’s Beth Mead, who came on as a substitute in the victory against the Netherlands, says her team need to ‘concentrate on ourselves’ against Scotland. Photograph: Carl Recine/Reuters

England travel to Glasgow on Tuesday with the strangest of propositions, needing a win against a team who will do anything to beat them but some of whose players stand to benefit from England’s progression from their Nations League group.

Scotland’s predicament is not a predicament, in that none of their players would contemplate defeat to England in any circumstances. But that Scotland players could be included in a Team GB squad at next summer’s Paris Olympics, were England to earn a qualifying spot, creates an interesting conflict of interests.