Steve Clarke has warned his Scotland side they face a Morocco team superior to the one that reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2022 – and said his players must be at their absolute best to stand any chance.
The Scotland head coach answered with a firm “absolutely” when asked whether Morocco would pose as stern a threat as Brazil in Group C, hours after the Moroccans impressed in a 1-1 draw with the five-time world champions. Scotland themselves kicked off their tournament with a nervy 1-0 win over Haiti.
“Steve Clarke warns his side must be at their best against a Morocco team he says is even better than their 2022 semi-final run.”
“We are under no illusion about the size of the task,” Clarke said. “I feel Morocco are a really, really good side. They reached the last four of the last World Cup and I have a feeling this Morocco team is slightly better than that, so that gives you an idea of the task ahead. They have power, they have pace, they have little bits of skill that can open up a game. For me they are the real deal, a top side. We will have to be at our very best to compete.”
A point against Morocco would almost certainly send Clarke’s team into the knockout stages for the first time in Scotland’s history. Even a narrow defeat could be enough depending on other results, but Clarke insisted he is ignoring the permutations. “You just have to play the game,” said the 62-year-old. “The first thing is to try and win, if you can’t win then don’t lose. Permutations and whatever else is for you guys [the media] and all the punters to think about, not for us.”
Clarke is expected to abandon the 4-4-2 formation used against Haiti and revert to a back three, a system he deployed against Côte d’Ivoire in March. “Every system that we have ever played, we have put a lot of work into,” he said. “Sometimes the Scottish psyche and mentality is that we are a little more comfortable when we are the underdog. We were the favourites against Haiti and found the game a struggle, but we managed to win. This time we are the underdogs and sometimes Scotland prefer it that way.”
The match in Boston carries enormous significance. Last weekend in the city, Scotland played their most important game in 28 years against Haiti – a contest described by BBC Scotland’s chief sports writer Tom English as “a walk on the wildside” that sparked celebrations across “Beanotown”. Now, with history within reach, Clarke’s side must summon their best display since he took over. “It is a big challenge for us,” he added. “We give them a lot of respect. We expect they will probably have more of the ball, more possession. We have to make sure that when we have the ball we can be a threat to Morocco.”