Scotland take on African giants Morocco in their second Group C game on Friday, knowing a draw could be enough to clinch a place in the knockout rounds of a World Cup for the first time ever. The Scots will start with five defenders, while Morocco are unchanged from their opener. Follow our live, minute-by-minute coverage.
The starting XIs
Scotland will start with five defenders, compared to four in their opening Group C win against Haiti, with Nathan Patterson and Kieran Tierney being brought into the side as coach Steve Clarke bolstered his backline.
The Moroccans are unchanged from their opening match, with a four-man defence and striker Brahim Diaz up front.
Scotland: Angus Gunn; Kieran Tierney, Andy Robertson, Grant Hanley, Jack Hendry, Nathan Patterson; Scott McTominay, John McGinn, Ryan Christie, Lewis Ferguson; Che Adams
Morocco: Yassine Bounou; Achraf Hakimi, Issa Diop, Chadi Riad, Noussair Mazraoui; Ayyoub Bouaddi, Azzedine Ounahi, Ismael Saibari, Bilal El Khannouss, Neil El Aynaoui, Brahim Diaz.
…and when Morocco dumped the Scots out of France 98
But the Morocco game also brings back painful memories of Scotland’s last World Cup campaign in 1998 in France, when they played the North African nation in their final group game and were eliminated after a comprehensive 3-0 defeat.
When Scotland beat Cruyff
Scotland’s win over Haiti last weekend was their first World Cup game since 1998 and their first win at the tournament since 1990, as well as only their fifth ever at the finals.
Memorable Scottish performances against higher-ranked opponents include a 3-2 win over eventual finalists the Netherlands in 1978, which was agonisingly too little to keep Scotland in the tournament.
Welcome to our liveblog
Scotland will relish their role as underdogs in today’s World Cup group game against Morocco, who look even better now than the side that famously reached the semi-finals four years ago in Qatar.
After a nervy 1-0 win against minnows Haiti in their opener, Scotland know a draw could clinch a place in the knockout rounds of a major tournament for the first time ever.
Morocco, meawhile, will be keen to register their first win of the tournament after they were denied victory by Brazil despite dominating much of their opening game.
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(FRANCE 24 with AFP, Reuters, AP)
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