Steve Clarke has a “dilemma” on his hands ahead of Scotland’s clash with Brazil on Wednesday, with his side in contention for qualification, according to Craig Levein.
A 1-0 defeat by Morocco in their second game on Friday night, thanks to Ismael Saibari’s strike after 70 seconds, means Clarke’s side are third in Group C with three points, but qualification is still very much in their own hands.
A win over Brazil in Miami on Wednesday will secure Scotland a place in the knockout stages for the first time at a major tournament.
But a win or even a draw may not be necessary, with Scotland currently second in the standings for the teams that occupy third place in their groups. The eight best third-placed teams advance to the knockout stage.
That means goal difference could be crucial and Levein, who managed Scotland from 2009-2012, believes Clarke will be inclined to approach the game defensively, knowing that a narrow loss could still be enough to see them through, while a heavy defeat would likely be devastating to their hopes.
“There is a situation where even if we lose 1-0 in this game, we can still qualify,” Levein said. Sky Sports news. “It’s actually a bit of a dilemma for Steve, whether he plays with his defensive hat on, which I think he probably will, and let’s hope that’s good enough. If we lose 1-0, I think we qualify.
“After the Morocco game, the key message will definitely be that you don’t concede a goal in the first 70 seconds or so – they did exceptionally well to come back from that because it could have been a moment where they folded and that would have been the worst case scenario.
“I thought Morocco would be a tougher game than Brazil, this is not one of the big Brazilian teams. They have some very good players in their team, but they are not invincible. If we can put in a really good, consistent performance and fight right to the end, then we have a great chance to qualify for the next round.
Clarke’s team face Brazil on Wednesday
“The first match [against Haiti] was a very nervous event and the match against Morocco was a big step forward. It was a much better performance and that will help. If we do the same thing again and take another step forward, we can cause Brazil problems.”
What changes will Clarke make?
Clarke made three changes to his starting line-up ahead of the Morocco game and could mix things up again at the Miami Stadium to bring fresh legs ahead of what looks set to be another sweltering environment for his players.
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Kris Boyd is looking forward to Scotland’s crucial game against Brazil after losing to Morocco at the World Cup
Levein is hopeful the Scotland boss has a full range of players to choose from and believes the changes in the game against Morocco show Clarke can go to his bench and influence the game.
“I would look at the players who have played in the two games so far and decide whether they can go again and that will be dictated by how they perform on the training ground,” Levein said.
“Steve doesn’t want to let anything slide but maybe there are a few players who are feeling things after playing two games and it could be that he needs to rest someone. But at the moment he hasn’t let anything come out of camp so there doesn’t seem to be any issues so he will get a chance to pick from his whole squad.
Should Scotland have been awarded a penalty against Morocco?
“The boys battled away right until the end against Morocco, Steve made some changes in the second half that improved us in an attacking sense and it was a much better performance than the first game.
“There’s more to come from Scott McTominay, there’s more to come from the rest of the boys too. It’s going to take an almighty push to get past Brazil and then we can all celebrate for three or four weeks!”