Group C's table is misleading: Scotland top it on three points after grinding past Haiti 1-0, but Morocco, a point back after being held 1-1 by Brazil, walk out as the favorites. The bookmakers' 4/5 reflects reality — a side that matched Brazil across 90 minutes carries a level of individual quality, from Hakimi and Ziyech to En-Nesyri, that Scotland's well-drilled but limited squad simply cannot replicate over a full game.

The doubts that keep this honest are real. Bounou's arm injury threatens to remove Morocco's excellent first-choice goalkeeper, and Aguerd has looked short of fitness — both invite Scotland to press higher and hunt the transitions that are their clearest path to a result. Steve Clarke's likely unchanged XI will sit in a narrow mid-block, stay compact, and back their set-piece threat to manufacture the one moment a low-scoring night may hinge on.

Expect a cagey, sub-2.5-goal affair where Morocco see more of the ball and gradually probe Scotland's shape, while the Scots wait to spring on the break. The pedigree and depth of talent just tip the balance toward a narrow Morocco win, most likely 0-1, but with the goalkeeping question mark and Scotland's momentum this is a coin-flip away from a 1-1 draw that would suit the Moroccans well enough anyway.