Interim manager Gareth Southgate wants England to be confident, expressive and streetwise against Scotland and beyond.
The 113th clash of the Auld Enemies comes at a time of transition for both countries, with Gordon Strachan's side needing to kick-start their World Cup qualifying campaign as the Three Lions' temporary boss looks to end a turbulent year on a high.
Victory would boost Southgate's chances of getting the job permanently but t he former defender steadfastly refused to talk about the long-term future, albeit being m ore forthcoming about the mindset he is looking to cultivate.
The England Under-21s boss believes players will better understand what is required on the pitch if they speak more freely off it, leading to a debate in the build-up to Friday's match about the difference between confidence and arrogance.
"It was just a comment that came up in a discussion last night," the interim boss said. "We are trying to get the guys talking more, expressing themselves more in front of each other.
"To be a team you need to have that level of communication a bit deeper. It's easy to have those sessions where people say 'we've got to be professional' or 'we've got to be leaders'.
"Well, what does that mean? Let's go further. I think we are at the early stages of that, really.
"It's something that we've tried to start doing with the Under-21s and the younger age groups in terms of: 'let's make our level of analysis of our game deeper'.
"Let's make our analysis of emotional things and discussions around things like leadership and game management more detailed, because it's easy to be fluffy."
Fluffy would be an apt description of the way England sometimes appear against calculated opponents.
The accusation of being too nice has also dogged Southgate, but the interim manager wants to help make the players more wily.
"The classic of that would be the game last year where Harry (Kane) nearly got decapitated against Portugal and tried to keep going," he said, referring to the summer friendly at Wembley.
"A lot of feedback to me would be 'It's a joke you're telling him to go down and get the other player sent off, it's not British'.
"I'd be one of the first to, at the right moment, do the right thing. But we are on the pitch. We want to win.
"So, there is obviously an edge and I don't encourage players to cheat.
"But if somebody fouls us and it is a foul and it should be a yellow card, sometimes you have to make sure that decision is taken."
Wayne Rooney conceded England paid for not being "streetwise" at the World Cup in Brazil and, two years on, Southgate think that issue still remains.
"I think streetwise generally," he said. "We are going into tournaments, we are going into qualifiers where it is a hard and fine line.
"I know that won't be a popular opinion but I'm in a professional sport so you've got to be respectful of the laws.
"I don't encourage cheating at all or diving. But there are moments in games when you've got to smell what the right thing is.
"I guess I've been involved in matches like in St Etienne in '98 where some of those things have swung the game.
"Nobody turns around and says: 'Oh well, we did the right thing and what a shame'."
Source: PA
