Scotland vs England Prediction: Red Rose primed for simple Calcutta Cup glory

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Team News

Townsend has made four changes to his pack, with Glasgow prop Nathan McBeth set for his first Six Nations start as George Turner, Gregor Brown and Jamie Ritchie join him, while hooker Ewan Ashman, loosehead Pierre Schoeman, second-rower Grant Gilchrist and back-rower Matt Fagerson all drop out.

Townsend has kept faith with the same back-line, ensuring names like Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe are absent again. Wing Graham is on the bench as part of a 5-3 but Kinghorn and record try-scorer Van der Merwe are not in the 23-man squad.

The Red Rose have introduced Maro Itoje and Luke Cowan-Dickie to their starting XV in the only two changes from the 41-point demolition of Wales at Twickenham, while Fin Smith is included among the replacements on a 6-2 split bench.

Scotland vs England Odds

After their disappointment in Rome, the Scots can be backed at 3/1 to bounce back with a Calcutta Cup win in Edinburgh. England have lost three of their last four trips to Murrayfield but are strong favourites now at 1/4, with the draw priced at 20/1.

Scotland are 10/11 with a nine-point start on the three-way handicap, with England priced at 20/21 and the handicap tie at 18/1.

England -9 @ 20/21

Scotland haven't won this Championship in the quarter of a century since Italy joined to make it the Six Nations, their last title coming in 1999 when they stormed Paris on the final day as Wales edged England by a single point in a Wembley classic to hand the Scots the crown on points-difference.

"It's huge," Scotland boss Townsend said of his ninth Calcutta Cup match as head coach. "It's our biggest game of the season and it always has been."

Perhaps therein lies some of Scotland's problem. Their squad depth has rarely been stronger than over the last five years but they have not yet delivered anything tangible.

Three Calcutta Cup wins in the last four played at Murrayfield have produced memorable occasions but this Scotland side hasn't been able to secure Six Nations glory. They remain rooted in the Auld Enemy era of wanting to knock England back.

Their Autumn Series defeats to New Zealand and Argentina further highlighted their failure to get the job done.

With the likes of Kinghorn, Van der Merwe and Graham omitted, Townsend is attempting to pass the baton to some new faces but this England side should prove too strong as they seek a 13th straight Test win.