England v Scotland: We all feel buzz around this match, says Harry Kane

Kane returned after a seven-week lay-off to start for Tottenham against North London neighbours Arsenal and kept up his enviable scoring record in the fixture.

His nerveless equalising penalty made it five goals against the Gunners in the past four meetings and underlined his credentials as a man who thrives when the stakes are high.

This is good news for England as they prepare to face Scotland at Wembley on Friday, an occasion Kane is desperate to experience.

“I seem to do well in games against rivals and England is no different,” he said.

“If I’m picked to play I’ll be going into that game full of passion and full of pride and trying to win the game for our country. You want to put on your best performances on the big occasions.

“We all know how big the game is on Friday, we’re all looking forward to it very much.

“It’ll be an amazing atmosphere and some great competition on the pitch. All you do is take preparations like Sunday into the international game and that’s what I’ll try to do.

“We can all feel the buzz around here and the media and how much it means to everyone. We have to use all the positive energy and that passion to win the game.”

Few fans need a crash course in the story of England versus Scotland, but that did not stop interim manager Gareth Southgate preparing a reminder for his side.

He played twice against the Scots, the famous 2-0 win at Euro 96 and a 1-0 defeat at Wembley three years later that nevertheless saw England qualify from a two-legged Euro 2000 play-off.

“We had a meeting (on Monday night) where he (Southgate) showed us a montage of previous games and he showed us the moments,” Kane said.

“It’s great to look back and deal with that, just to feel the importance of the game, to feel the importance as players, staff and fans.

“We know what it means, Gareth obviously knows what it means and we’re looking forward to that.”

While Kane was in no mood to downplay the excitement that is building up around the match, he also urged caution when the whistle blows.

Hot heads do not tend to win derbies and Kane knows the importance of keeping calm.

“You don’t want to get any silly bookings early on and end up getting sent off – in this type of game you need all your men on the pitch,” he said.

“Of course there will be tackles flying in and a lot of battles and duels, but that’s what it is all about. So you have to keep a cool head but still keep that passion.”

Kane was one of nine players who were excused duty in the first full training session of the week, with Southgate happy to go easy on those who acquired bumps and bruises over the weekend.

After seven weeks of rehabilitation it is no surprise to see Kane easing his way back in, but he is happy with his conditioning and pushing for the No 10 shirt that Daniel Sturridge inherited against Malta and Slovenia last month.

“Obviously I missed the last trip with England, which was hard to take, but the ankle feels good now and it’s great to be back in the fold,” he said.

“I’ve been training leading up to the Arsenal game and it was in the back of my mind that I wanted to be fit enough to be called up. I definitely feel fit and sharp.”

The Football Association announced last week that England’s players would wear black armbands bearing poppies in Friday’s clash, despite FIFA general secretary Fatma Samoura’s insistence that no exceptions would be made by the world governing body. The game’s laws state that players’ equipment should not carry any commercial, political or religious messages, and FIFA have stuck to their guns.

On the decision to show support by wearing the poppy on the armband, Kane said: “It’s nice we’re wearing it. We’re happy.

“I think all the players wanted to wear the poppy and it’s great that we can. Being on the top or on the sleeve, I don’t think it matters too much. Just the fact that we’re wearing it is a big positive.”

England captain Wayne Rooney and interim boss Southgate were among a small group to take part in a remembrance visit to Stapenhill Cemetery in Burton yesterday. Joe Hart and Sturridge were also present as the Three Lions stars took a break from their preparations ahead of the World Cup qualifying clash against Scotland.

The quartet each laid a poppy wreath on a memorial with the message ‘Football Remembers’, while Southgate placed a flower on a war grave.