Scotland will be seeking to build on their 1-0 win over Haiti -- their first win in a World Cup match since 1990 -- when they take on Morocco at the Boston Stadium on Friday but it won't be an easy feat against the AFCON champions.
Morocco were semifinalists last time out at the 2022 World Cup and enjoyed a sensational tournament. They may have drawn with Brazil in their opening match of this edition but they will be heavy favourites going into their meeting with the Tartan Army.
But Scotland are on a high after their success in the first game of the tournament. It was a nervy win, decided by a John McGinn goal that took a heavy deflection but head coach Steve Clarke said after the match that the team can be "happy" with the victory and that the win eased the pressure on them ahead of the clash with Morocco.
If Scotland were to beat Morocco, that would set them well on course to make it through to the knockout rounds of the World Cup for the first time in their history.
In their final training session ahead of Friday's showdown, Scotland had a full complement of players available, which will come as a relief to Clarke after centre-back Scott McKenna missed training on Wednesday.
The Tartan Army played in a 4-4-2 formation against Haiti and, although they won, there were numerous nerve-shredding moments throughout the game, as Haiti had chances to equalise, pushing Scotland hard right up until the final whistle.
They will need to be at their very best against a Morocco side full of talent, including one of the best right-backs in the world in Achraf Hakimi, Real Madrid star Brahim Díaz, rising star Ayyoub Bouaddi and, goalscorer against Brazil, Ismael Saibari.
If they are to win this game, Scotland will need their own stars to step up. McGinn, Scott McTominay and co will need to be at their goalscoring best and the performance will have to be better than it was against Haiti. -- by Hannah Ryan
Predicted line-up:
Angus Gunn, Grant Hanley, Jack Hendry, Aaron Hickey, Andy Robertson, Ryan Christie, Lewis Ferguson, Ben Gannon-Doak, John McGinn, Scott McTominay, Ché Adams.
Angus Gunn was in goal against Haiti and it is highly likely he will be picked again to be the man between the sticks against Morocco. He was called upon multiple times as the Caribbean side swung numerous balls into the box throughout the match and will be needed again against an ominous Morocco attack.
Scott McKenna did not feature against Haiti, owing to a calf issue, and missed training again on Wednesday. In his place, the experienced Grant Hanley was partnered with Jack Hendry at centre-back. Captain Andy Robertson will no doubt start at left-back, while Aaron Hickey is likely to retain his place at right-back after the Haiti match.
Against Haiti, McGinn was preferred to Ryan Christie in midfield and McGinn repaid his manager's faith by scoring the only goal of the game. There is a possibility, though, that Scotland will need an extra central midfielder to deal with Morocco, which may mean that Lawrence Shankland drops out and Christie comes in.
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If so, Christie will likely join McGinn, McTominay, Ben Gannon-Doak and Lewis Ferguson in midfield. Against Haiti, McGinn was deployed mostly on the left and linked up well with Robertson. On the other side, Gannon-Doak created plenty of problems for the Haitians.
Shankland and Adams started up-front against Haiti but, if Christie does come in, it is likely that Adams will be the sole striker up top.
It is possible that Clarke decides to go for a back three and a 3-5-1-1 formation, in which case Kieran Tierney would likely come in and Gannon-Doak may miss out.
Morocco will surely be one of the sternest tests Scotland will face in their group games, along with Brazil, and Clarke will need to pick the team he feels can get a result against the team ranked the 11th best in the world by FIFA. -- by Hannah Ryan