Scotland are just one result away from making history.
After ending their 36-year wait for a World Cup victory with a 1-0 win over Haiti, Steve Clarke’s side now face Morocco in a match that could secure a place in the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time ever.
And it looks like some major changes could be on the way.
The Formation Switch
Scotland lined up in a 4-4-2 against Haiti, but many pundits expect Clarke to abandon that system against a far stronger Moroccan side.
Former Rangers and Hearts midfielder Andy Halliday believes a tactical adjustment is inevitable.
“I fully expect a change of shape. Will it be a 4-5-1 or do we go to that five at the back that Steve Clarke’s deployed so often?” he said.
Former Celtic and Hibs player Scott Allan also expects Scotland to sacrifice a striker and add an extra midfielder.
“We won’t see the 4-4-2 against Morocco. You’d expect one of the strikers to drop out and I think Ryan Christie comes in just for his energy out of possession.”
The Big Casualty
Lawrence Shankland could be the player to miss out.
The striker struggled to influence the game against Haiti and was substituted in the second half after failing to register a shot on target.
Che Adams is expected to keep his place, with Clarke potentially opting for a lone-striker system supported by John McGinn, Ryan Christie and Ben Doak.
The Defence Dilemma
Scott McKenna’s fitness has become one of the biggest talking points ahead of the match.
The defender returned to training earlier this week after missing the Haiti win with a calf injury, although his availability remains uncertain.
If Clarke decides to switch to a back five, McKenna’s return would give him the personnel needed to make the change.
Halliday believes that could be crucial.
“We’ve got five centre-halves at the World Cup. I don’t think we can give Morocco the amount of space we gave Haiti and expect to get a positive result.”
The Predicted XI
GK: Angus Gunn
CB: Jack Hendry
CB: Grant Hanley
CB: Scott McKenna
RWB: Aaron Hickey
LWB: Andy Robertson
CM: Scott McTominay
CM: Kenny McLean
AM: Ryan Christie
AM: John McGinn
ST: Che Adams
What’s At Stake
The stakes could hardly be higher.
A draw would leave Scotland in an outstanding position heading into their final group match against Brazil.
A victory would almost certainly seal qualification for the knockout stages and create one of the greatest moments in Scottish football history.
As captain John McGinn admitted:
“We know one point or three points would take us into uncharted territory.”
The Bottom Line
A formation change. A striker set to be dropped. And a place in history on the line.
Steve Clarke’s Scotland XI is beginning to take shape ahead of the biggest match of the World Cup so far.
